Astronauts to unload space-scanner at station

The Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer-2 is a $2 billion dollar, 15,000 pound (7,000 kilogram) particle detector that will remain at the space lab to scour the universe for hints of dark matter and antimatter over the next decade.

Astronauts will move the AMS-2 from the shuttle Endeavour to the space station\'s starboard 3 truss during the first of four scheduled spacewalks, NASA said.

Once in place, the detector is expected to send information about the origins of the universe to scientists back on the Earth for the next decade.

"It is certainly a challenging operation any time you are moving around large masses like this," said NASA official LeRoy Cain, though he declined to say it was the "most challenging" project ever done at the space lab.

"It is pretty involved, pretty complex," Cain, the deputy space program manager, told reporters. "This one will be very exciting for the team."

Meanwhile, NASA managers at mission control in Houston were busily inspecting the shuttle\'s heat shield after seven tiles appeared to have been damaged during the orbiter\'s ascent Monday.

Three tiles are getting extra attention because they appear to have the most damage, Cain said, adding that the inspection was a matter of routine.

"We don\'t have any reason for concern or alarm," he said. "Overall the vehicle is very clean."

NASA was able to capture high resolution photos of the shuttle\'s exterior when it approached the International Space Station, doing a nine-minute, 360-degree flip before docking at the orbiting lab.

The crew is equipped with kits to repair damaged tiles if needed. Shuttle managers will know more about what steps, if any, should be taken in the coming days, Cain said.

Endeavour blasted off Monday with six astronauts on board -- five Americans and one Italian -- and docked at the International Space Station (ISS) on Wednesday.

After the Endeavour crew of six greeted the six astronauts already at the orbiting space lab, the team\'s first order of business was to transfer the Express Logistics Carrier from Endeavour\'s robotic arm to the ISS.

The carrier holds extra parts for the space station, including an ammonia tank, a high-pressure gas tank, a cargo transport container, and a spare arm for the Canadian robot Dextre.

The Endeavour mission is being commanded by astronaut Mark Kelly, the husband of Democratic US Representative Gabrielle Giffords, who is recovering after being shot in the head at a January political meeting with local voters.

The shuttle will remain at the station until May 30, returning to the United States on June 1.

The 30-year US space shuttle program formally ends later this year with the flight of Atlantis, leaving Russia\'s space capsules as the sole option for world astronauts heading to and from the orbiting research lab.

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