Search for a solution of the Pioneer anomaly

Michael Martin Nieto, John D. Anderson
2007 Contemporary physics (Print)  
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 ∼ 8 × 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
more » ... fort has gone into understanding this anomaly (and also possibly related effects). We review the situation and describe ongoing programs to resolve the issue.
doi:10.1080/00107510701462061 fatcat:ywpl5lbrhzayjpykeqifdajr54