For those not in the know, MIT’s Technology Review reports that a new computer model of the way heat is emitted by various parts of the Pioneer spacecraft and reflected off others, finally solves one of the biggest mysteries in astrophysics. By using a computer modeling technique called Phong shading to work out exactly how the emitted heat from the Pioneer 10 and 11 spacecrafts is reflected and in which direction it ends up traveling, it undercuts support for two theories of modified gravity and inertia that had relied upon “new physics” to explain the anomaly.

These two theories, MOND (Modified Newtonian Dynamics) and MiHsC (Modified Inertia due to a Hubble-scale Casimir effect) have employed data from the Pioneer spacecraft to give weight to their theories of how gravity (or inertia) might change over long distances.

In MOND, gravity changes are described as an alternative explanation for what is commonly known as dark matter. If the gravitational constant changes with distance there is no requirement for additional matter.

Currently MiHsC is the theory held by Dr. Martin Tajmar of KAIST as the most likely candidate to describe his dipolar gravity effects discovered at ARC/AIT and announced in 2006. But Tajmar’s results are also cited by Drs. Hauser and Droescher as experimental proof of EHT (Extended Heim Theory) which also predicts previously undetected massive particles (though not WIMPS) as the basis for dark matter without need for the changes in gravity due to distances (albeit gravity is modified in other manners).

With this new finding MOND’s explanation for dark matter becomes less likely, and the support for MiHsC also fades, though MiHsC also sites flyby anomalies as evidence supporting their hypothesis. This gives EHT a more preferred (though certainly not proven) position to explain both Tajmar’s findings and dark matter.

However, EHT still remains an outlier theory and additional experimentation must be completed to secure its position as an explanation for dark matter, dark energy and the complete view of gravity.

MIT article here: http://www.technologyreview.com/blog/arxiv/26589/
ArXIV article here: http://arxiv.org/abs/1103.5222