This appears to be the mindset of the Air Force regarding its experimental X-37B space plane, the billion-dollar robotic vehicle's orbital flight being extended beyond the 270 days it was initially designed for.

ENGADGET: Air Force X-37B space plane books additional time on orbital cruise, orders another margarita

Such fine control would be employed in certain experimental set-ups in space where precise positioning of a craft was essential.

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An experimental colony of bacteria stranded in space by problems with the space shuttle survived for six years.

ECONOMIST: Panspermia: Interplanetary migration | The

The ATVs are used to deliver experimental equipment and supplies to the International Space Station.

FORBES: European Space Agency Names Launcher after 'Father of the Big Bang'

NASA, America's space agency, is paying for an experimental version of Inductrack that will travel at half the speed of sound.

ECONOMIST: Maglev trains

The space-rock aesthetic was no doubt influenced by producer and experimental musician Peter Kember, formerly of Spacemen 3.

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It doesn't have any experimental drugs that look likely to catch fire, and Big Pharma is barging into the oncology space in a big way.

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