obermd wrote:
We do know there is an anomalous force applied to probes doing gravity slings.
Not quite. A "gravity sling" works by energy/momentum transfer. The spacecraft (+propellant) drops into the gravitational well of the planet, gaining kinetic energy at the expense of potential energy. The propellant is burnt close to the planet, leaving it close to the planet. This has the effect of transferring to the spacecraft both the momentum gained due to falling into the gravitational well and the momentum gained due to the burning of the propellant. Handled correctly, this will result in an increase is the spacecraft's speed over and above what it would get from just burning the propellant. The momentum that the spacecraft picks up is not free; it comes from the momentum of the planet in its orbit. However, as the spacecraft is mauch smaller than the planet, the effect on the planet's orbit isn't measurable.
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