A Mission to Test the Pioneer Anomaly
Abstract
Analysis of the radio tracking data from the Pioneer 10/11 spacecraft has consistently indicated the presence of an anomalous small Doppler frequency drift. The drift can be interpreted as being due to a constant acceleration of a_P= (8.74 +/- 1.33) x 10^{-8} cm/s^2 directed towards the Sun. Although it is suspected that there is a systematic origin to the effect, none has been found. The nature of this anomaly has become of growing interest in the fields of relativistic cosmology, astro- and gravitational physics as well as in the areas of spacecraft design and high-precision navigation. We present a concept for a designated deep-space mission to test the discovered anomaly. A number of critical requirements and design considerations for such a mission are outlined and addressed.
Keywords
Cite
@article{arxiv.gr-qc/0205059,
title = {A Mission to Test the Pioneer Anomaly},
author = {John D. Anderson and Michael Martin Nieto and Slava G. Turyshev},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:gr-qc/0205059},
year = {2009}
}
Comments
Final changes for publication. Honorable Mention, 2002 Gravity Research Foundation Essays