Probing the Flyby Anomaly with the Galileo Constellation

International Journal of Modern Physics D, 2012

JPL’s own data correlate to 1% NEAR and Rosetta trajectory discrepancies to an unexpected doubling of path times in phase locked tracking. NEAR’s radar residuals illustrate the doubling to 5σ. Analysis of these and other NASA-tracked flybys shows that a distance sensitive anomalous signal generally exists.(Submitted to IEEE NAECON 2019)

Physical Review Letters, 2008

We report and characterize anomalous orbital-energy changes observed during six Earth flybys by the Galileo, NEAR, Cassini, Rosetta, and MESSENGER spacecraft. These anomalous energy changes are consistent with an empirical prediction formula which is proportional to the total orbital energy per unit mass and which involves the incoming and outgoing geocentric latitudes of the asymptotic spacecraft velocity vectors. We use this formula to predict a potentially detectable flyby velocity increase of less than 1 mm=s for a second Rosetta flyby on

TRANSACTIONS OF THE JAPAN SOCIETY FOR AERONAUTICAL AND SPACE SCIENCES, 2018

Flyby anomaly indicates the existence of an unknown perturbation (i.e., anomalous acceleration) that affects hyperbolic trajectories. Based on the analytical position and velocity variations, this paper investigates the general kinematics of perturbed hyperbolic orbits. As a result, post-interaction approximation formulas are derived. Based on these results, the observation data of the Galileo and NEAR Earth flybys are analyzed. The analysis results derive new constraints for flyby kinematics. The authors of this paper selected a few of the hypothetical acceleration models and analyzed their kinematical properties as representative examples. The simulation results show that the acceleration models fail to reproduce the characteristics of the range and Doppler observation data. This means that, in modeling the flyby anomaly, not only energy variation, but also kinematical constraints must be considered to reproduce the observation data.

In a former paper [1], much attention has been given to spinning objects whereof the gravitational acceleration has been calculated for particles in the spinning sphere and at its surface. The purpose of this paper is to calculate the gyrotational acceleration of orbiting satellites in an orbital plane under an angle with the Earth’s equator. It is found that strong influence is possible, depending from the orbit’s inclination.

L. Iorio, A flyby anomaly for Juno? Not from standard physics, Advances in Space Research, vol. 54, no. 11, pp. 2441–2445, 2014

An empirical formula recently appeared in the literature to explain the observed anomalies of about View the MathML source mm s−1 in the geocentric range-rates View the MathML source of the Galileo, NEAR and Rosetta spacecraft at some of their past perigee passages along unbound, hyperbolic trajectories.It predicts an anomaly of the order of 6 mm s−1 for the recent flyby of Juno, occurred on 9 October 2013.Data analyses to confirm or disproof it are currently ongoing.We numerically calculate the impact on the geocentric Juno’s range rate of some classical and general relativistic dynamical effects which are either unmodeled or mismodeled to a certain level in the software used to process the data.They are: (a) the first even zonal harmonic coefficient J2 of the multipolar expansion of the terrestrial gravitational potential causing orbital perturbations both at the (a′) Newtonian (J2) and at the (a″) first post-Newtonian level (J2c-2) (b) the post-Newtonian gravitoelectric (GE) Schwarschild-like component of the Earth’s gravitational field (c) the post-Newtonian gravitomagnetic (GM) Lense–Thirring effect.The magnitudes of their mismodeled and nominal range-rate signatures are:(a′)View the MathML source μm s−1(a″)View the MathML source μm s−1 (b) View the MathML source μm s−1 (c) View the MathML source μm s−1. If a flyby anomaly as large as a few mm s−1 will be finally found also for Juno, it will not be due to any of these standard gravitational effects. It turns out that a Rindler-type radial extra-acceleration of the same magnitude as in the Pioneer anomaly would impact the Juno’s range-rate at a View the MathML source μm s−1 level. Regardless of the quest for the flyby anomaly, all such effects are undetectable.

2008

Doppler shift observations of spacecraft, such as Galileo, NEAR, Cassini, Rosetta and MESSENGER in earth flybys, have all revealed unexplained speed `anomalies' - that the doppler-shift determined speeds are inconsistent with expected speeds. Here it is shown that these speed anomalies are not real and are actually the result of using an incorrect relationship between the observed doppler shift and the speed of the spacecraft - a relationship based on the assumption that the speed of light is isotropic in all frames, i.e. invariant. Taking account of the repeatedly measured light-speed anisotropy the anomalies are resolved. The Pioneer 10/11 anomalies are discussed, but not resolved. The spacecraft observations demonstrate again that the speed of light is not invariant, and is isotropic only with respect to a dynamical 3-space. The existing doppler shift data also offers a resource to characterise a new form of gravitational waves, the dynamical 3-space turbulence, that has als...

Victoria, 1993

A short overview of the European Satellite navigation programme Galileo and its current state of development is provided, followed by a brief description of scientific applications of navigation signals in general and the expectations for Galileo in particular.

2010

This reading expounds with expediency on the recently proposed Azimuthally Symmetric Theory of Gravitation (ASTG) setup earlier. At its inspection, it was demonstrated that the ASTG is capable (among others solar anomalies) of explaining the precession of the perihelion of solar planets. In the present, we show that the ASTG is capable of explaining the puzzling observations of flyby anomalies, i.e. the anomalous asymptotic speed increases of the osculating hyperbolic speed excess. It is shown that these flyby anomalies occur naturally in the ASTG. We derive the empirical formula proposed by Anderson et al. in 2008, which up to now has no physical or foundational basis except that experience suggest it. If the ASTG model is correct, then for the first time the Anderson et al. formula is given a physical meaning.