Antimatter-Hunting AMS Experiment in Space (Photos)

Endeavour's Skipper and the Scientist

Endeavour shuttle commander Mark Kelly, left, and Nobel laureate Sam Ting (principal investigator for the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer) look over the instrument as it sits in a work stand at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida before its launch. Kelly commanded the STS-134 mission to take the AMS to the International Space Station in May 2011. The cutting edge instrument is the brainchild of Ting.

Bright Lights, Big Shuttle

NASA's space shuttle Endeavour heads to the launch pad for its final mission, STS-134, to transport AMS to the space station. Here Endeavour is shown bathed in bright xenon spotlights on March 10, 2011 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

Endeavour Soars Into Space on STS-134 Mission

Space shuttle Endeavour lifts off at 8:56 a.m. EDT on May 16 on its final flight - STS-134 - carrying AMS.

Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer Transferred from Shuttle Endeavour

The Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer is transferred out of the space shuttle Endeavour's cargo bay by the shuttle's robotic arm on May 19.

In the Grasp of the Canadarm2

The space shuttle's long Canadarm 2 robotic arm maneuvers AMS from space shuttle Endeavour's payload bay for installation on the station's starboard truss, on May 19, 2011

STS-134 Docked at the International Space Station

The powerful Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer-2 (AMS) is visible at center left. The blackness of space and Earth's horizon provide the backdrop for the scene, on May 20, 2011 (Flight Day 5 of the STS-134 shuttle mission).

Home on ISS

An artist's concept of the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer installed on the International Space Station.

STS-134 Patch

The emblem of the STS-134 shuttle mission alludes to its cargo, the Alpha Magnetic Spectromer. The shape of the patch represents the symbol for the atom, with electrons orbiting around a nucleus. The sunburst in the center represents the Big Bang, the origin of the universe, which AMS is designed to study.