end of an era: pioneer 10 fades away

[Dauphin]

The Voyagers used different orientation and propulsion systems making the margin of errors too large to determine whether they are experiencing the same problem.

The Pioneers were basically easier to track.

[TheStinger]

Aliens, it has to be

[aaglo]

Then I'm mistaken... I didn't think they did. Thanks for the info.

You stupid americans...

j/k

A brave mission from Pioneer10. Job well done

I mean really... 11 hours to the moon... that's fast.


RIP, P10

[aaglo]

What slowed it down so much?

The solar system, small particles in space, other planets (Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, X)... who knows. Aliens?

[Ben Kenobi]

small particles in space,

That's included under BC's tested hypotheses.

Pioneer 10 and Pioneer 11 have very different headings. If the same effect slows both down, then it seems reasonable to assume that this drag envelopes the solar system.

Have they worked out the proportionality, BC? Does the drag related to the distance from the sun?

[Japher]

Yup, planet X, Nibiru. Very interesting reading.

They say that Earth was once two planets until Nibiru ran into the earth splitting it in two creating the asteroid belt, and the comet that seems to have just returned. The one someone said was as long as Jupiter or something. If the other half of Earth is back, maybe Nibiru is closer than it usually is, and Pioneer ran into it.

[Dauphin]

Its a constant (distance independent) force.

a =~ 8 x 10^-10 m/s².

[Arrian]

So there is drag in space?

-Arrian

[Ben Kenobi]

Thanks, BC.

Sometimes I miss my physics days.

Then I look at matrices and partial derivatives. Best cure for nostalgia ever.

Why don't you have an avatar? I'd love to have one, though I'm still about 130 posts short.