What is the main conflict in Rendezvous with Rama by Arthur C. Clarke?

Arthur C. Clarke recounts the mission of the spaceship Endeavour and its staff as it completes an exploratory mission on an alien space vessel traveling though the solar system. The novel underlines the difficulties encountered by the explorers as they try to adapt to an environment that obeys the rules of physics in a place that is very different from the one found on Earth. The story concentrates on Bill Norton's character, the commander of the spaceship Endeavour, and the technical problems he faces as he tries to gather information and understand the world of Rama.