Is AMS-02 Truly a Game-Changer in Space Exploration?

[SubTachyon]

(My apology if there already is a thread regarding the newly launched AMS-02, I didn't find it.)

As I am sure most of you know the (second) Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer has been successfuly launched into orbit and is on its way to the ISS. I have two questions for any people here who are informed on this topic:
1) When could we (the general public) expect the first reliable results to be published from the findings?
2) The mass media actually painted the importance of AMS-02s mission to be comparable with the paradigm shifts of Newton and Einstein. To what extent is this assertion justified? Isn't AMS-02 just a more powerful version of AMS-01?

Cheers.

 

[Chalnoth]

1) When could we (the general public) expect the first reliable results to be published from the findings?

Couldn't tell you, sorry. My naive expectation would be half a year at an absolute minimum, perhaps as long as 2-3 years before the first results are published.

2) The mass media actually painted the importance of AMS-02s mission to be comparable with the paradigm shifts of Newton and Einstein. To what extent is this assertion justified? Isn't AMS-02 just a more powerful version of AMS-01?

It's pretty unlikely to be a paradigm shift. It's possible it will improve our understanding of dark matter and some astrophysical processes, but a paradigm shift is extremely unlikely.

 

[Imax]

(My apology if there already is a thread regarding the newly launched AMS-02, ...

No. I was wondering when the topic of Alpha Magnetic Spectrometry was going to show up. Maybe a poll?

What can we say from data from an Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer?

1) It’s going to solve gravitational collapse/expansion of galaxies.
2) It’s going to narrow parameters for dark energy/dark matter.
3) The equations are wrong, and we don’t need dark energy/dark matter.
4) Nothing. We don’t understand dark energy/dark matter.
5) None of the above.

 

[Imax]

#2 with a peppering of #3?

 

[Chalnoth]

#2 with a peppering of #3?

At this point, #3 is pretty unlikely. #2 is more likely, if it gives us any information at all about cosmology. The most likely situation, unfortunately, is that we won't learn anything new as it relates to cosmology (though there will probably be some new information with regards to astrophysics).

 

[Imax]

Isn't AMS-02 just a more powerful version of AMS-01?

Per Wiki (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alpha_Magnetic_Spectrometer):

By not detecting any antihelium the AMS-01 established an upper limit of 1.1×10−6 for the antihelium to helium flux ratio and proved that the detector concept worked in space.

The AMS-01 could only detect an antihelium to helium flux ratio down to a limit of 1.1x10-6. The AMS-02 has greater sensitivity.