Does anyone think that once we establish a long-term permanent presence out in space that we will begin to develop 'a feel' for it in ways we couldn't have predicted? More than that do you think we may discover subtle phenomena that expand our understanding of the laws of physics, phenomena that even allow new states of matter, or reactionless drives?

For example, in an environment where we can grow large quantities of perfect crystals, we might discover that once they reach a certain size (impossible under gravity) that they exhibit really fantastic behaviours. Maybe they would resonate, or react to an applied force like a gyroscope but without even spinning...

(Space might be gritty like real life)