Experiments on fundamental physics on the space station

Original proposals and experiments on gravitation and fundamental metrology on the space station are described. These experiments were formulated in the Metrology and Gravitation Science Team, in two ESA industrial study contracts, on microsatellites and on time and frequency science, within the space station scenario. Although limited by the design constraints of the space station, the experiments range from clock-based tests on special and general relativity to, with additional infrastructure, the equivalence principle and the detection of gravitational waves. Supporting technology, such as damping systems and microgravity cooled atom clocks, is also described. Finally, the major scientific goals, the experiments, hardware and the status are summarized. This work represents the first coordinated attempt, at least within the European space programmes, to consider experiments on relativity and fundamental physics without resorting to experiment dedicated space missions. For details on specific issues a large bibliography is referred to.