The project has been searching for antimatter since 1993 with annual launches of a 60-story balloon carrying a 5,000-pound package of instruments.
Though antiparticles such as anti-protons and anti-electrons are studied by scientists, more complicated forms such as anti-helium remain elusive.
Finding antimatter such as anti-helium would shake up cosmological theories, said Dr. Jonathan Ormes, head of the Laboratory of High Energy Astrophysics at NASAs Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md.
"Its a long shot, but the impact would be enormous," Ormes said. "If we find anti-helium it would have a large impact on our understanding of astrophysics and the fundamental processes that form the universe."
Many theorists believe the entire universe is made of "ordinary" matter, though some speculate antimatter galaxies may exist. The projects managers hope to find evidence that will help to prove or to disprove the theory of an antimatter universe.
Project managers launched the latest balloon package on August 11 from Lynn Lake, Manitoba, Canada. The balloon landed the next day and recovery operations are underway, Ormes said.
He added the payload will be trucked back to Lynn Lake, the data tapes removed and sent to the University of Tokyo for analysis.
Converting the tapes data into information that can be analyzed should take several months, Ormes said.
The next launch is scheduled for early August 2000.
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