[escepticos] Aceleración anómala

["Fernando Peregrin" <amscofin@...>]

Ayer noche, Victor R. y un servidor de ustedes ( el de carne  y hueso; el
otro, el electrónico, no nos habla desde que le metimos dentro a los LGM
del Cageiga ) hablábamos de esto (y de otras cosas, no se crean; de momento
no padecemos insommio con delirio posgravitatorio); creemos que puede ser
interesante. Quién sabe, tal vez sea el origen de algo nuevo. Al menos, se
rompe la rutina de que en materia de gravedad, teoría y experimentos
tiendan a una convergencia cada día más precisa.

Cuando se enteren nuestros magufos, seguro que se pondrán contentísimos: se
ha descubierto la anti-gravedad fototrópica anómala, alotópica y
reversible, fuente de energía para los ovnis; o recordando la insigne
fantasia solar delirante que firmaba Benito Manuel Carballal en el último
número de Xanadú, es posible que se trate de la prueba definitiva de que en
el centro del Sol hay una base de ovnis, con aire acondicionado y selecto
ambigú.

Saludos

FerPer
++++++++++++++++++
ANOMALOUS ACCELERATION.  Data from several spacecraft,
including Pioneer 10 and 11, Galileo, and Ulysses, provide
evidence for an unexplained, weak, long-range acceleration, a new
report shows. Position and velocity information is derived from
radio signals sent from the craft to the Deep Space Network back on
Earth.  Any change in velocity over time can be ascribed to a
variety of known sources: the sun and planets, the solar wind, the
Milky Way, the Kuiper belt, etc.  But even after taking this all into
account, as well as other possibilities such as the presence of dark
matter in the solar system (only a millionth of a solar mass of dark
matter could reside within the orbit of Uranus, it is estimated) or
gas leakage from the vehicles themselves, a small acceleration in the
direction of the Sun---8 x 10^-8 cm/sec^2 for Pioneer 10---remains
unaccounted for.  Signs of this anomaly first appeared in the
Pioneer tracking as long ago as 1980; Pioneer 10 was launched in
1972 and is presently 70 astronomical units from Earth.  Now six
space scientists, armed with many years of Pioneer data,
supplemented with trajectory information from Galileo and Ulysses,
have carried out the first thorough analysis of the problem and find
the anomaly to be as persistent as ever.  (The Voyager spacecraft
are less useful for determining acceleration anomalies.) The
researchers doubt but do not rule out the possibility of a novel
gravitational effect or other kind of  new physics. Alternative
explanations include subtle systematic errors in the data analysis or
unexpected aspects of space navigation. Further work on this
problem may extend to the observed motions of planets, comets,
and the proposed Pluto Express craft.  (John D. Anderson et al.,
Physical Review Letters, tentatively 5 October 1998; contact John
Anderson at JPL, 818-354-3956, john.d.anderson en jpl.nasa.gov; or
Michael Nieto at Los Alamos, 505-667-6127, mmn en mmn.lanl.gov; 
journalists can obtain copies of the article from AIP Public
Information.)