In 2013, balloons were launched by NASA near the North and South poles to study X-rays in Earth’s atmosphere. The work was part of a balloon-based NASA mission called the Balloon Array for Radiation-belt Relativistic Electron Losses, or BARREL. The mission focused on X-rays produced when electrons from the radiation belts around Earth move down into the atmosphere. These electrons can enter the atmosphere from the Van Allen Belts, which are regions of charged particles held around Earth by its magnetic field.
BARREL used balloons to measure the X-rays and other signals linked to these electrons. The measurements helped scientists study how radiation moves between space and Earth’s atmosphere. The information also supports work on protecting satellites that operate around Earth.
