The following is a statement from NASA Administrator Charles Bolden on the first Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer (AMS) results announced Wednesday at the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) in Switzerland. AMS is a cosmic ray particle physics detector on the exterior of the International Space Station. It was launched to the space station on space shuttle Endeavour’s STS-134 mission on May 16, 2011.
“The AMS cosmic ray particle results announced today could help foster a new understanding of the fields of fundamental physics and astrophysics. I am confident that this is only the first of many scientific discoveries enabled by the station that will change our understanding of the universe. Multiple NASA human spaceflight centers around the country played important roles in this work, and we look forward to many more exciting results from AMS.
“For more than 50 years, NASA has pushed the boundaries beyond Earth to unveil the underlying architecture of the cosmos, revealing new knowledge about our place within it. The International Space Station is a gateway to the universe, teaching us how humans can live, work, and thrive in space as we endeavor to venture deeper into the solar system. It’s a remarkable testament that the orbital laboratory could play such an important supporting role in research at the very smallest scale of the physical universe. It’s proof positive the space station is humanity’s greatest achievement in low-Earth orbit.”
For more information about AMS and the International Space Station, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/station
