KSC-2011-2321

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- A canister, carrying the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer-2 AMS and Express Logistics Carrier-3 for space shuttle Endeavour's STS-134 mission, enters the Canister Rotation Facility from the Space Station Processing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. There, the canister that protects the space-bound payload will be rotated from a horizontal to vertical position so that it can be installed into Endeavour's payload bay. AMS is a particle physics detector, designed to operate as an external experiment on the International Space Station. It will use the unique environment of space to study the universe and its origin by searching for dark matter. AMS-2 will fly to the station aboard Endeavour's STS-134 mission targeted to launch April 19 at 7:48 p.m. EDT. For more information visit, www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/shuttlemissions/sts134/index.html. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett