Astronaut Jessica Meir recently completed hardware updates to the Cold Atom Lab aboard the International Space Station. This refrigerator-sized instrument is one of the most exotic physics labs ever flown—it cools atoms to nearly absolute zero, a regime where quantum effects dominate. According to NASA, these ultracold experiments enable scientists on Earth to test fundamental physics and develop breakthrough technologies in quantum sensing and computing. Meir's May maintenance work ensures this remarkable orbital laboratory remains operational.

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