Iorio's "high-precision measurement" of frame-dragging with the Mars Global Surveyor

Abstract

In two analyses of orbital data from the Mars Global Surveyor spacecraft, Iorio [1,2] has claimed confirmation of the frame-dragging effect predicted by general relativity. Initially to an accuracy of 6%, and now 0.5%, exceeding the expected accuracy of NASA's Gravity Probe B. It is shown his results come from misinterpreting the MGS data and then altering a key time period.

9 pages, LaTeX2e, 1 figure; expanded figure and discussion, added acknowledgement, important change in Reference [2], longer version of "Comment on evidence of the gravitomagnetic field of Mars," published by Classical and Quantum Gravity

References in corpus (3)

• Evidence of the gravitomagnetic field of Mars
• On the reliability of the so far performed tests for measuring the Lense-Thirring effect with the LAGEOS satellites
• On the Systematic Errors in the Detection of the Lense-Thirring Effect with a Mars Orbiter

Cited by in corpus (6)

• Phenomenology of the Lense-Thirring effect in the Solar System
• A tale of analogies: gravitomagnetic effects, rotating sources, observers and all that
• Relativistic orbits with gravitomagnetic corrections
• Mars and frame-dragging: study for a dedicated mission
• Advances in the measurement of the Lense-Thirring effect with planetary motions in the field of the Sun
• Will it be possible to measure intrinsic gravitomagnetism with Lunar Laser Ranging?