The primary payload of STS134, the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer is a stateoftheart particle physics detector being constructed, tested and operated by an international team of 56 institutes from 16 countries and organized under United States Department of Energy (DOE) sponsorship. To be delivered to the International Space Station by space shuttle Endeavour next month, the AMS will use the unique environment of space to advance knowledge of the universe and its beginnings.