BARREL 5A: Fast Time Resolution Bremsstrahlung X-ray Spectra

BARREL 5A X-ray Spectrometer Level 2 data provides six channels of fast time resolution (50 ms) Bremsstrahlung X-ray spectra from 0 MeV to 1.5 MeV. The dataset was collected by NASA's BARREL mission, a multiple-balloon investigation launched from Antarctica and Sweden between 2013 and 2016 to study electron precipitation from Earth's Radiation Belts. Observations were made from stratospheric altitudes near the Antarctic and Arctic circles.

Use Cases

• Analyze temporal variations in relativistic electron precipitation based on 50 ms time resolution spectra.
• Characterize the spatial scale of precipitation events based on data from a slowly moving balloon array.
• Correlate X-ray measurements with in-situ plasma wave and particle data from the Van Allen Probes mission.
• Study magnetospheric processes by comparing balloon data with ground-based radar systems like EISCAT.

Strengths

• Provides six distinct spectral channels (FSPC1a, FSPC1b, FSPC1c, FSPC2, FSPC3, FSPC4) covering an energy range from 0 MeV to 1.5 MeV.
• Data has a fast time resolution of 50 milliseconds.
• Dataset is part of a multi-year campaign with over 50 balloon launches conducted between 2013 and 2016.

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 carried on stratospheric balloons.

Time Range

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

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-13 03:30:28.389387; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Launches from Halley Bay and SANAE IV in Antarctica, and Esrange Space Center in Kiruna, Sweden; observations near Antarctic and Arctic circles.