7 Conclusions
We find that general relativity has held up under extensive experimental scrutiny. The question then
arises, why bother to continue to test it? One reason is that gravity is a fundamental interaction of nature,
and as such requires the most solid empirical underpinning we can provide. Another is that all attempts to
quantize gravity and to unify it with the other forces suggest that the standard general relativity of Einstein
is not likely to be the last word. Furthermore, the predictions of general relativity are fixed; the theory
contains no adjustable constants so nothing can be changed. Thus every test of the theory is
either a potentially deadly test or a possible probe for new physics. Although it is remarkable
that this theory, born 90 years ago out of almost pure thought, has managed to survive every
test, the possibility of finding a discrepancy will continue to drive experiments for years to
come.