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Line 27: − * A March 2011 paper claims that the anomaly is caused by heat radiation.[http://www.technologyreview.com/blog/arxiv/26589/] + + + +
→Explanations: Better explanation of the thermal reflection.
* The theory of [[General Relativity]] and the [[Law of Universal Gravitation]] could be wrong; the gravitational force could be slightly stronger than predicted. In this context, it is important to note that other spacecraft flying in hyperbolic trajectories around celestial bodies have also experienced anomalous gravitational effects.
* The theory of [[General Relativity]] and the [[Law of Universal Gravitation]] could be wrong; the gravitational force could be slightly stronger than predicted. In this context, it is important to note that other spacecraft flying in hyperbolic trajectories around celestial bodies have also experienced anomalous gravitational effects.
* There could be gravitational forces from other celestial bodies that have not been taken into account.
* There could be gravitational forces from other celestial bodies that have not been taken into account.
* A Sept. 2011 paper claims that the anomaly has been shrinking, but is still a mystery.[http://www.sciencemag.org/content/333/6047/1208.short]
* A Sept. 2011 paper claims that the anomaly has been shrinking, but is still a mystery.[http://www.sciencemag.org/content/333/6047/1208.short]
The generally accepted explanation, published in March 2011, is that the anomaly is caused by the reflection of the radiation from the power source off of the back of the antenna dish.<ref>http://www.technologyreview.com/blog/arxiv/26589/</ref> The solution is sometimes described as an application of "Phong shading", a technique of computer graphics that is now considered imprecise. But Phong shading itself is not what is important. The "ray tracing" computer graphics technique that underlies Phong shading was what inspired the scientists to take reflection into account.<ref>http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pioneer_anomaly</ref>
The most detailed analysis to date, by some of the original investigators, explicitly looks at two methods of estimating thermal forces, then states "We find no statistically significant difference between the two estimates and conclude that once the thermal recoil force is properly accounted for, no anomalous acceleration remains."<ref name="thermal">{{cite journal|doi=10.1103/PhysRevLett.108.241101|title=Support for the Thermal Origin of the Pioneer Anomaly|year=2012|last1=Turyshev|first1=Slava G.|last2=Toth|first2=Viktor T.|last3=Kinsella|first3=Gary|last4=Lee|first4=Siu-Chun|last5=Lok|first5=Shing M.|last6=Ellis|first6=Jordan|journal=Physical Review Letters|volume=108|issue=24|arxiv = 1204.2507 |bibcode = 2012PhRvL.108x1101T|pmid=23004253|pages=241101}}</ref>
== External links ==
== External links ==