Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer arrives at launch site
26 Aug 2010, 15:18 UTC
ESA
One of the most complex space scientific instruments ever built, the Alpha
Magnetic Spectrometer (AMS-02) arrived today at the Kennedy Space Center in
Florida, escorted by the crew of astronauts who will flyshare with it onthe last
flight of the Space Shuttle inscheduled for February 2011.
This entry has 1 comment.
It actually looks like a pretty good bet STS-134 won't be the last mission. NASA is going full tilt planning STS-135 in June. The House and Senate have passed the authorizations with some minor funding differences to work out.
The permanent magnets might be a good idea regardless. The helium cooled ones limited the lifespan of the mission. The new configuration is a little less sensitive, but if it allows the mission to last three times as long, it will return more data.
