Pioneer Anomoly

ArXiv has posted an interesting paper about the Pioneer Anomoly.

Not surprisingly the main conclusion is that we should send another
mission to the outer Solar System. If nothing else this would give us
a second data point.

Dark skies,

tom

====================
astro-ph/0506330:

Title: Pioneer Anomaly and the Kuiper Belt mass distribution
Authors: O. Bertolami, P. Vieira
Comments: Plain latex; 12 figures

Pioneer 10 and 11 were the first probes sent to study the outer
planets of the Solar System and Pioneer 10 was the first spacecraft to
leave the Solar System. Besides their already epic journeys, Pioneer 10
and 11 spacecraft were subjected to an unaccounted effect interpreted as
a constant acceleration towards the Sun, the so-called Pioneer anomaly.
One of the possibilities put foward for explaining the Pioneer anomaly is
the gravitational acceleration of the Kuiper Belt. In this work we examine
this hypothesis for various models for the Kuiper Belt mass distribution. We
find that the gravitational effect due to Kuiper Belt cannot account the
Pioneer anomaly.Our conclusions suggest that only through a mission, the
Pioneer anomaly can be confirmed and further investigated. This mission
turns out to be also a quite interesting probe to study the mass distribution
of the Kuiper Belt.
======================

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Relevant Pages

  • Re: Einstein was right
    ... For Background, readers should see Anderson, et al paper, "The Apparent ... Anomalous, Weak, Long-Range Acceleration of Pioneer 10 and 11": ... A Mission to Test the Pioneer Anomaly ... critical requirements and design considerations for such a mission ...
    (sci.physics)
  • Re: Pioneer Anomoly
    ... > ArXiv has posted an interesting paper about the Pioneer ... > send another mission to the outer Solar System. ... anomalies, starting at different points. ...
    (sci.astro)
  • physics for ex-farmers
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    (uk.business.agriculture)
  • Re: Is Pioneer 10 probe observing an anomalous centripetal acceleration of the Earth with respect to
    ... All objects that seem to show the Pioneer ... in the solar system exhibit elliptical ... They are not actually escaping ... anomalies observed in the solar system. ...
    (sci.physics.relativity)
  • The stress-energy-momentum tensor of the solar system is not well mapped.
    ... Tired light and the Pioneer 11 anomaly, ... The stress-energy-momentum tensor of the solar system ... We need better maps, I assume, ...
    (sci.physics)