The Pioneer Anomaly: The Data, its Meaning, and a Future Test

TL;DR

This paper analyzes the Pioneer anomaly, an unexplained constant acceleration detected via radio-metric data from Pioneer spacecraft, discusses its implications, and proposes future tests to understand its origin.

Contribution

It provides a detailed analysis of the Pioneer anomaly data, confirms its existence, and suggests future mission designs to test its cause.

Findings

Anomalous blue shift drift detected in Pioneer data

Constant sunward acceleration of approximately 8.74 x 10^-8 cm/s^2

No systematic explanation identified for the anomaly

Abstract

The radio-metric Doppler tracking data from the Pioneer 10/11 spacecraft, from between 20-70 AU, yields an unambiguous and independently confirmed anomalous blue shift drift of a_t = (2.92 \pm 0.44)\times 10^{-18} s/s^2. It can be interpreted as being due to a constant acceleration of a_P = (8.74 \pm 1.33) \times 10^{-8} cm/s^2 directed towards the Sun. No systematic effect has been able to explain the anomaly, even though such an origin is an obvious candidate. We discuss what has been learned (and what might still be learned) from the data about the anomaly, its origin, and the mission design characteristics that would be needed to test it. Future mission options are proposed.