This seven ton beauty drinks in the cosmic rays from heavens above, marking the largest physics experiment in space.

The Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer (AMS) is safely installed up above in the International Space Station (ISS) after safely being delivered by the Space Shuttle Endeavor. From the outer spine of the ISS, the spectrometer hunts for dark matter, antimatter, galaxies, and more.

The rudimentary science experiments at the ISS are incredibly useful, yes, but the AMS has finally allow scientists to make more use out of the station.

Physicist and Astronomers typically don’t work together in this capacity, but as you can see, the instrument has significantly contributed to both fields.

The unique vantage point of space allows scientists to extract better data. While observations of the cosmos take place everyday here on the ground, the atmosphere acts as a filter to a variety of high-energy objects.

So, how does it work? What has it found?

Space.com shares an incredible graphic on some of the accomplishments thus far.

Has the investment been worth it? I think so. What about you?