BARREL 4D: Bremsstrahlung X-ray Spectra from Balloon Campaigns for Radiation Belt Studies

Six channels of fast time resolution (50 ms) Bremsstrahlung X-ray spectra detected with a NaI Scintillator, covering an energy range from 0 MeV to 1.5 MeV. The BARREL Mission was a NASA Living with a Star multiple-balloon investigation designed to study electron losses from Earth's Radiation Belts, providing the first balloon measurements of relativistic electron precipitation alongside in situ measurements from the Van Allen Probes. Over 50 stratospheric balloons were launched across four campaigns from Antarctica (2013, 2014) and Sweden (2015, 2016).

Use Cases

• Analyzing temporal variations in electron precipitation based on the 50 ms time resolution X-ray spectra.
• Characterizing the spatial scale of relativistic electron precipitation based on multi-balloon constellation data.
• Correlating balloon-based X-ray measurements with in situ plasma wave and particle data from the Van Allen Probes mission.
• Studying the energy spectrum of precipitating electrons based on the six spectrometer channels covering 0-1.5 MeV.

Strengths

• Provides data from over 50 balloon flights across four separate campaigns.
• Offers fast time resolution measurements at 50 milliseconds across six energy channels.
• Designed to coordinate with the comprehensive Van Allen Probes in situ measurements.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics for FSPC1a-FSPC4 must be inferred after download.
• Row count and dataset size are unknown, which may limit suitability assessment for large-scale ML tasks.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Collection Method

Measured by X-ray spectrometers and a DC magnetometer carried on stratospheric balloons.

Time Range

Campaigns conducted in 2013, 2014, 2015, and 2016.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-13 11:47:39.428537; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Balloon launches from Halley Bay and SANAE IV base in Antarctica, and the Esrange Space Center in Kiruna, Sweden.