iTWire - Pioneer Anomaly partially explained with heat

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Pioneer Anomaly partially explained with heat

by William Atkins
Monday, 05 May 2008
Page 3 of 3 Turyshev is now investigating the possibility that the exterior of the Pioneer 11 has been altered during the mission. Related stories SpaceX doesn’t mark the spot for NASA’s NanoSail-D spacecraft Planetary Society announces winners of tag-and-track asteroid contest Interstellar space: Where No Earthly Bacterium Has Gone Before The distinct possibility exists that the spacecraft was repeatedly hit with dust, which could have changed its texture and/or appearance on the outside. Ultraviolet radiation from the Sun could also have contributed to allowing the spacecraft to radiate more heat than would be normally expected. Thus, a new analysis of dust and radiation exposure by Turyshev may add more accountability as to why the Pioneer Anomaly is affecting Pioneer 10 and 11. He hopes to have the answer in less than six months. For additional information on the Pioneer Anomaly and the efforts of Slava Turyshev, please read The Planetary Society article “Preliminary Thermal Modeling Accounts for Some (but Not All) of the Pioneer Anomaly by Emily Lakdwalla. For more information on the efforts of The Planetary Society with regards to the Pioneer Anomaly, please go to: Projects: "Pioneer Anomaly." Gathered articles about the Pioneer Anomaly are found at “Pioneer Anomaly: Literature and Links”. An earlier iTWire article about the Pioneer Anomaly appears at “The Pioneer Anomaly: The NASA Whodunit”. Please enable JavaScript in your browser to post your comment! Tags See All Tags NASA Physics Pioneer Science Space Spacecraft William Atkins Get stories like this delivered daily - FREE - subscribe now << First page < 1 2 3 Next page > Last page - Post your comment >>