Return from space: from the International Space Station to CERN

On 16 May 2011, the space shuttle Endeavour took off for the last time from Cape Canaveral in Florida with six astronauts on board. Their mission (code-named STS-134) was to install the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer (AMS), the dark matter and antimatter detector designed at CERN, on the International Space Station. Since then, AMS has been sending data to CERN from space.

 

On Wednesday 25 July do not miss a rare opportunity to meet the mission’s six astronauts at CERN:

Mark E. Kelly, commander (NASA)
Greg H. Johnson, pilot (NASA)

and the mission’s specialists:

Michael Fincke (NASA)
Roberto Vittori (ESA and ASI)
Andrew J. Feustel (NASA)
Greg Chamitoff (NASA)

4:20 pm: the event will kick off with a photo and autograph session at the Globe of Science and Innovation.

5 pm: lecture given by the astronauts for CERN personnel and summer students in the Main Auditorium. (Seats reserved for the summer students - contact: summer.student.info@cern.ch).

In addition, there will be an exhibition at Microcosm, which will be open to the public, of photographs from AMS’s flight in space.  A book on the exhibition will be on sale at the CERN shop.

Other events:

Monday 23 July, 4 pm - Public conference in Chamonix

Come and celebrate the hundredth anniversary of the discovery of cosmic rays together with astronauts from the STS-134 mission.

The venue: Chamonix, salle du Bicentenaire.

Conference programme:

  ・Cosmic rays at the refuge on the Aiguille du Midi, by Professor Michel Grenon, Geneva Observatory.

  ・Cosmic rays today - the AMS mission on the International Space Station, by Professor Maurice Bourquin, the AMS Collaboration and astronauts from the STS-134 (NASA-ESA) mission.

  ・The LHC: Cosmic collision simulator, by Mike Lamont, leader of the LHC Operations Group.

  ・Question and answer session.

  ・Press conference and photos.

 

Samuel Ting, principal investigator for the AMS project, and Rolf Heuer, CERN Director-General, visit the Kennedy Space Centre before the AMS launch.  Courtesy of NASA and Kennedy Space Center.

Monday 23 July, 8:30 pm - Lecture and film on the CERN-AMS mission

In attendance, the astronauts from the STS-134 mission. The event will be organised by the GEX-Divonne Rotary Club. (In English - simultaneous translation into French will be available.)

The venue: Divonne les Bains, salle de l’Esplanade du lac.

Tickets: 10 €, children and students: 5 €.

Information and bookings: 06 10 79 12 32.

 

Tuesday 24 July, 8:30 pm - Public conference at the Théâtre du Léman, Geneva

Conference programme (In English - simultaneous translation into French will be available):

  ・Introduction by Yvan Pictet, President of the Fondation pour Genève, and by J.-L. Veuthey, Vice-Rector of the University of Geneva.

  ・Presentation on AMS by Professor Sam Ting.

  ・Presentation by the astronauts of the STS-134 mission.

 

Mardi 24 juillet, 20h30 - Conférence publique au Théâtre du Léman, Genève

Programme de la conférence (en anglais - traduction simultanée en français) :

  ・Introduction de Yvan Pictet, président de la Fondation pour Genève, et de JL. Veuthey, vice-recteur de l’Université de Genève.

  ・Présentation d’AMS - prof. Sam Ting.

  ・Présentation donnée par les astronautes de la mission STS-134.