BARREL 4H MSPC: Bremsstrahlung X-ray Spectra from Stratospheric Balloons

NASA's BARREL mission launched over 50 stratospheric balloons from Antarctica and Sweden between 2013 and 2016. Each balloon carried an X-ray spectrometer measuring 48 channels of Bremsstrahlung X-ray spectra with a 4-second time resolution, covering energies from 0 MeV to 4 MeV. This data provides the first balloon measurements of relativistic electron precipitation from Earth's radiation belts.

Use Cases

• Studying electron losses from Earth's Radiation Belts based on Bremsstrahlung X-ray spectra.
• Characterizing the spatial scale of relativistic electron precipitation based on balloon array observations.
• Analyzing temporal variations of electron precipitation based on medium time resolution (4 s) spectra.
• Correlating precipitation events with in-situ plasma wave and particle measurements based on coordinated campaign design.

Strengths

• Data spans four balloon campaigns from 2013 to 2016, involving over 50 launches.
• Spectra cover a nominal energy range from 0 MeV to 4 MeV across 48 channels.
• Observations were coordinated with the Van Allen Probes mission and other ground/space instruments.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Collection Method

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

Time Range

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

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-13 03:31:11.033180; freshness should be verified.

Geography

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