Proposal and Substantiation of a Repeatable Space Experiment to Refine the Law of Gravity That Dominates the Solar System

Abstract

Against the background of insufficient information on the law of gravity in near space, a justification is proposed for conducting a high-precision artificial experiment to determine the law of gravity dominating the Solar System. It is proposed to use the Sun–Earth–Venus system, space probes, and observers as a “gravitational space laboratory.” The scheme of a “standard ballistic flight” is defined as a complex trajectory of the probe, comprising the Earth-Venus path, accelerating gravitational maneuver at Venus, and the Venus–Earth orbit path. The data at the end point of the trajectory provide a conclusion on the format of the law of gravity of the Sun. The key instruments of the experiment, the gravity assist maneuver and the function of its sensitivity to changes in the probe–planet impact parameter, are described in detail. Schemes and results of an analytical calculation and numerical construction of the probe trajectory are given. It is shown that this experiment provides a margin for successful observation of the probe positions in classical and relativistic gravity, which makes it possible to distinguish the gravity type. At the evaluation level, the issues of economics of the experiment are touched upon, and the provision of observational statistics and the possibility of obtaining additional scientific and practically significant information are discussed.