Testing for the Pioneer anomaly on a Pluto exploration mission

TL;DR

This paper discusses testing the Pioneer anomaly, an unexplained constant acceleration observed in Pioneer spacecraft, by proposing a Pluto orbiter mission to experimentally verify its existence.

Contribution

It introduces the concept of using a Pluto exploration mission as a platform to test for the Pioneer anomaly, offering a novel experimental approach.

Findings

Potential to confirm or refute the Pioneer anomaly with a Pluto mission

Methodology for analyzing Doppler data in the context of anomaly detection

Framework for future experimental tests of unexplained spacecraft accelerations

Abstract

The Doppler-tracking data of the Pioneer 10 and 11 spacecraft show an unmodelled constant acceleration in the direction of the inner Solar System. An overview of the phenomenon, commonly dubbed the Pioneer anomaly, is given and the possibility for an experimental test of the anomaly as a secondary goal of an upcoming space mission is discussed using a putative Pluto orbiter probe as a paradigm.