The Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer on board the International Space Station released its first results today (read about them here) after having been in space since 2011. But this particle physics experiment was years in the making. In just 3 minutes, you can watch 16 years of building, preparing, launching and activating this detector.
Below, watch another video from NASA that provides an overview of the AMS:
Great video! I get an intuitive ‘tingly’ when I think about the science we’ll get from this instrument. It’s not often we get to see a shift in the established ‘standard model’ paradigm and the AMS may provide just that. How exciting! This single instrument would make building the ISS worthwhile if it weren’t for all the other great things we are learning… BANG! another intuitive tingly! i.e. something way cool IS or HAS recently happened on board the ISS? I’ve got a feeling that a ‘wind change card’ or a ‘shock the monkey’ event has occurred that will kick start our dubious earthly endeavors, aka the depressed whirled wide economic scenario. Hang on kids, good things are coming! Do you feel it?