BARREL 4H: Ultra Fast Bremsstrahlung X-ray Spectra from Balloon Campaigns

30 channels of ultra fast time resolution, 10 ms, Bremsstrahlung X-ray spectra collected by the BARREL mission's balloon-borne instruments. The BARREL Mission was a NASA Living with a Star Mission of Opportunity designed to study electron losses from Earth's Radiation Belts, with campaigns conducted from Antarctica in 2013-2014 and Sweden in 2015-2016. Over 50 stratospheric balloon payloads were launched across the four campaigns.

Use Cases

• Studying electron losses from Earth's Radiation Belts based on Bremsstrahlung X-ray measurements
• Characterizing the spatial scale of precipitation at relativistic energies based on balloon array data
• Analyzing ultra-fast (10 ms) temporal variations in X-ray spectra based on the 30-channel data
• Correlating precipitation events with in-situ plasma wave and particle measurements from the Van Allen Probes

Strengths

• Provides ultra-fast time resolution data at 10 milliseconds
• Includes over 50 balloon payload launches across four campaigns spanning 2013-2016
• Data is not filtered by altitude, offering a complete atmospheric profile

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download
• Measurement altitude must be checked in a separate EPHM file before use
• 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 03:31:08.556862; freshness should be verified

Geography

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