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arXiv · 0709.1917

Seeking a solution of the Pioneer Anomaly

Michael Martin Nieto·John D. Anderson
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Abstract

The 1972 and 1973 launched Pioneer 10 and 11 were the first missions to explore the outer solar system. They achieved stunning breakthroughs in deep-space exploration. But around 1980 an unmodeled force of \sim 8 \times 10^{-8} cm/s^2, directed approximately towards the Sun, appeared in the tracking data. It later was unambiguously verified as not being an artifact. The origin remains unknown (although radiant heat remains a likely cause). Increasing effort has gone into understanding this anomaly. We review the situation and describe programs to resolve the issue.

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Michael Martin Nieto, John D. Anderson. 2007-09-12. Seeking a solution of the Pioneer Anomaly. https://doi.org/10.1142/9789812779519_0025

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