(e) 空间的本质 在空间站舱体的外部将进行一些实验 机外实验可能有助于研究空间环境以及长期在空间 真空和碎片会如何影响物质 这项研究可使未来的航天器设计者和科学家更好地了解空间的本质 改进航天器的设计 有些实验将研究基本自然力 即基础物理学的这一领域 将利用无重状态研究各种微弱的力量以及在地球上因受重力影响而难以研究的力量 这一领域中的实验将有助于解释宇宙是如何形成的 用激光把原子冷却到接近绝对零值的研究能更好地认识重力本身 除了研究自然的基本问题之外 还有助于实用性的开发 包括制作比当今的原子钟精确 1000 倍的时钟 更准确地预报天气 并造出更坚固的材料
(e) The nature of space: Some experiments aboard the Space Station will take place on the exterior of its modules. Such exterior experiments can be useful in studying the space environment and how long-term exposure to space, the vacuum and the debris, affects materials. Such research can provide future spacecraft designers and scientists with a better understanding of the nature of space and enhance spacecraft design. Some experiments will be aimed at studying the basic forces of nature, a field called Fundamental Physics, where weightlessness is used in experiments to study forces that are weak and difficult to study when subject to gravity on Earth. Experiments in this field may help explain how the universe developed. Investigations that use lasers to cool atoms to near absolute zero may help to provide a better understanding of gravity itself. In addition to investigating basic questions about nature, this research could lead to down-to-Earth developments that may include clocks a thousand times more accurate than today’s atomic clocks, better weather forecasting and stronger materials;