space laboratory
1
4.9
- noun
- /speɪs ˈlæbəˌtɔri/
- Specialized
:
laboratorio espacial
- Astronauts aboard the International Space Station, a modern space laboratory, perform scientific experiments in various fields, including biology and physics.
Examples
-
In the summer of 1979, Skylab, the first and only manned American space laboratory, malfunctioned and crashed to Earth.
Fiction book (1995) -
In 1973, NASA launched Skylab, the first American space laboratory, which provided valuable data about the Earth's atmosphere.
-
The research team conducted extensive experiments aboard the space laboratory to study the effects of microgravity on human health.
Synonyms
131
3.9
A large place built in space where people live and work for science
A station high above Earth where people live and do science
How Big
- Specialized
131
3.9
- Specialized
1
4.9
- Specialized
Surface Forms
Morphology
The overall meaning is directly compositional: 'space' (the cosmos) + 'laboratory' (a place for experiments) yields a laboratory located in space. While the dictionary gloss adds technical detail (a manned satellite in orbit), an average B1 learner who knows the two words will understand the core idea of a lab in space, so the expression is transparent.
Etymology
Space laboratory comes from the clear image of a laboratory in space, a lab that floats above Earth where scientists can work. Because people have put small labs with scientists into orbit so they can do experiments in weightless conditions, the phrase means 'a manned satellite for research'.