Search for a Solution of the Pioneer Anomaly

Abstract

In 1972 and 1973 the Pioneer 10 and 11 missions were launched. They were the first to explore the outer solar system and achieved stunning breakthroughs in deep-space exploration. But beginning in about 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 being in the data and not an artifact. The cause remains unknown (although radiant heat remains a likely origin). With time more and more effort has gone into understanding this anomaly (and also possibly related effects). We review the situation and describe ongoing programs to resolve the issue.

24 pages 8 figures

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• The Pioneer Anomaly
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• Teleparallel Lagrange Geometry and a Unified Field Theory
• Notes on "quantum gravity" and non-commutative geometry
• Conformal Cosmology and the Pioneer Anomaly
• Kinematical Conformal Cosmology: fundamental parameters from astrophysical observations
• The dynamical nature of time
• The Variable-c Cosmology as a Solution to Pioneer Anomaly