ODYSSEY, Orbit Determination Software for the Pioneer Data Analysis

Space Science Reviews, vol. 151, n°1-3, pp. 105-121, 2010International audienceThe Pioneer anomaly refers to the difference between the computed trajectories of the Pioneer 10 and 11 spacecrafts and their actual trajectories as observed through Doppler tracking. This difference has been described by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) as a constant anomalous acceleration. In order to perform an independent analysis, specific trajectography software, named ODYSSEY, has been developed. The paper will focus on the models implemented in this software and on the results obtained. The existence of a constant anomalous acceleration is confirmed with properties similar to those reported by JPL. Time dependent components of the anomaly are also found and discussed