AMS-02 and the Space Shuttle

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:

 

And too many of the politicos don’t buy into science…instead, they prefer to believe in that which may or may not be, rather than study what actually is.:dizzy_face:

Would you be thinking of this guy, for example?

I couldn’t resist.  Terrible combustion here, got to be some serious hydrocarbons- yellow flame.

Bob  :smileyvery-happy:

@neutron_bob wrote:

 

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.

 

I don’t understand why Hawking decided to go in the direction that he did.  It can only draw controversy that’s ages old and will never be resolved.

It’s a shame that the shuttle flights are ending.  And for future needs, the U.S. will look to the Russians for a ride.  Thinking back on the race to the moon and how the nation rejoiced when we were the first to land there, pitch a flag, and hit a golf ball, it seems to be many steps backward.

@neutron_bob wrote:

Would you be thinking of this guy, for example?

 

 

I couldn’t resist.  Terrible combustion here, got to be some serious hydrocarbons- yellow flame.

Bob  :smileyvery-happy:

Wwoooww!!!  How many jalapenos and habaneros did he eat??!!  LOL

@spacepatroller wrote:

Did anyone know that it is the 400th anniversary of the persecuation of Galileo?

 

 

Nope, didn’t know that.  He was a great man.

Hey, time for an update.

We had a dead load control assembly (LCA-2) on the Endeavour, a power distribution box for multiple systems.  Things are looking good for a launch on the 16th of May, as long as testing goes OK.  I wish I could be there to hear the cool ping-ping-ping sound as the main engines lift her aloft.  Now that’s loud!!!

Hey, at least I’ll have the day off and can watch on the monitors.  The Amgen Tour of California will be running as well, and I’ll be on site about halfway down to Modesto, up in the hills to watch live on Tuesday.  That’s going to be a great ride.

Bob  :smileyvery-happy: