The Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer (AMS) is a particle physics experiment that is to be mounted on the International Space Station designed to search for various types of unusual matter by measuring cosmic rays. Its experiments will help researchers study the formation of the universe and search for evidence of dark matter and antimatter.[1] It is uncertain if it will ever be launched, because it is not manifested to fly on any of the remaining Space Shuttle flights. Final assembly is however being completed in Geneva and delivery to Kennedy Space Center is expected to take place in late 2008.
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Development
It was proposed in 1995 (not long after the canceling of the Superconducting Super Collider) by particle physicist Samuel Ting, who went on to direct the development work of 500 scientists from 56 institutions and 16 countries.[2] With costs of $1.5 billion as of 2007, the New York Times called it "one of the most expensive scientific experiments ever built".[2]
Launch issue
NASA was to provide transport to the International Space Station on board of one of its space shuttles - an AMS prototype (AMS-01) went into space with flight STS-91 in 1998 - but after the 2003 Columbia disaster NASA decided to reduce shuttle flights and retire the remaining shuttles by 2010, with no room for AMS on the remaining flights.[2] In 2006 NASA studied alternative ways of delivering AMS to the space station, but they proved to be too expensive.[1] However, with the most recent reorganization of the Space Shuttle consolidated launch manifest,[3][4] the last currently planned Shuttle flight was moved up to July 2010. The possibility now exists for adding an additional mission to install the AMS module, paralleling NASA's reversal in approving a final Hubble servicing mission to be flown during 2008.[5] If it is to be installed on the International Space Station, then AMS (or AMS-02) would be mounted on top of the Integrated Truss Structure, specifically on USS-02 on the zenith side of the S3-element of the truss by means of the Payload Attachment System (PAS).[6] The PAMELA satellite launched in 2006, an European-Russian collaboration, is carrying out some experiments similar to those planned on AMS, although AMS hopes to achieve a much higher sensitivity.[7]
References
- ^ a b Marc Kaufman (December 2, 2007). The Device NASA Is Leaving Behind. The Washington Post. Retrieved on 2007-12-02.
- ^ a b c Dennis Overbye: Long-Awaited Cosmic-Ray Detector May Be Shelved. The New York Times, April 3, 2007
- ^ http://www.nasaspaceflight.com/content/?cid=5087
- ^ http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/shuttlemissions/iss_manifest.html
- ^ http://www.nasaspaceflight.com/content/?cid=4987
- ^ Johnson Space Center. JSC - Phase II Safety Data Package 0 (PDF) 93,101. Retrieved on 2007-12-02.
- ^ http://wizard.roma2.infn.it/pamela/press/pamela_news_nature-160606.pdf
Further reading
- Sandweiss J. 2004. Overview of strangelet searches and Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer: when will we stop searching?. J. Phys. G: Nucl. Part. Phys. 30 S51-S59. doi:10.1088/0954-3899/30/1/004
External links
- AMS Homepage at CERN. Accessed 2 December 2007.
