Pioneer Spacecraft still keeping us Entertained

[Calin]

"According to our current 'understanding' of gravity, over the last 34 years both Pioneer 10 and 11 should have traveled more that 400,000 kilometers further than they have actually flown."

"The effect that concerns NASA scientists is the distance calculations for both probes. Each appears to be off course by several hundred thousand kilometers and no one can quite figure out why."
http://www.thunderbolts.info/tpod/2007/arch07/070912pioneeranomaly.htm

[iceman]

I heard about this on the AstronomyCast podcast the other day.. they're trying to work out whether there's some gravitational influence they didn't account for, or something leaking off the probes..

Interesting.

[Astro78]

That's darn interesting!

[Ric]

What fascinating craft they are. I can still remember the first images that were sent back from them and even today they are still intriguing us.

[ballaratdragons]

Name me a car that can still steer straight after 34 years!!! Give em a break, Pioneer 10 & 11 have been doing excellent work for longer than many IIS members have been alive!

So they went off track a bit. What's a few hundred thousand Kilometres between friends :lol:

I applaude them :thumbsup:

[Rob_K]

Perhaps it should also be pointed out that the Thunderbolts link in the first post is a site dedicated to "liberation from the gravity-driven universe of prior theory" - an 'alternative science' site which is devoted to the "electric universe". So I'd be looking for some better refs for this. ;)

Anyway, yes, Pioneer is still heading out - amazing - I often check its progress on Heavens Above!

Cheers -

[xelasnave]

They are now subject to the push from outside our solar system..it will cause them to slow I suspect.. and remember as they are outside our "bubble" they will become stuck in space..well according to me they get stuck in space and our solar system "bubble will be on a course independant of theirs..presumably we will race away from them as they basically come to a halt..to us they will appear to be racing away at the speed we (solar system) is travelling thru the galaxy..er orbiting speed that is. I see their performance as totally predictable in a push Universe. I dont think a leak will account for what we will see from them.
alex