I have been busy reading up about the AMS-02, the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer , a roughly 7,000kg instrument scheduled for the final (gasp!) mission STS-134 of Endeavour.
In brief, the instrument is going to probe into Dark Matter and Antimatter_,_ trying to figure out where roughly 95 per cent of the Universe’s mass is hiding. The instrument requires power that can, thankfully, be supplied by the International Space Station’s big new solar panels.
More is the pity, politics has trumped science. Don’t get me started on pithy thoughts like Global Warming and such. We need engineers and scientists, now, more than ever, to tackle the real problems facing humanity.
At least things are looking promising for a real peek at the nature of the cosmos.
Steven Hawking is trying his hand at it lately, if you watch the news. He has stirred up the pot quite a bit in a bold sortie into the political arena, shall we say. Mon Dieu!
Stick with physics, my friend.
I cannot overstate the importance of study in the sciences. We’re moving perilously close to the days of the 17th century, where pleasing kings was so closely integrated with scientific endeavors,grappling for support.
(More to come)
Bob (time to eat) :smileyvery-happy:
