The world's most iconic equation, Albert Einstein's E=mc2, may be correct or not depending on where you are in space, a physicist has suggested, proposing an experiment to test the theory in outer space.

University of Arizona physics professor Andrei Lebed has stirred the physics community by proposing an experiment using a space probe carrying hydrogen atoms to test his finding that the equation E=mc2 is correct in flat space, but not in curved space.

According to the Theory of General Relativity, objects curve the space around them. In the equation E=mc2, 'E' stands for energy, 'm' for mass and 'c' for the speed of light (squared).