Resolution of the Earth Flyby Anomaly via Substrate Torsional Frame-Dragging: Non-Conservative Cauchy Momentum Transfer and Latitude-Dependent Kinetic Energy Shifts in an Elastically Pre-Stressed Vacuum

High-precision radio Doppler tracking of spacecraft executing gravity-assist flybys of Earth (Galileo-I, NEAR Shoemaker, Rosetta, Cassini, Juno) has established anomalous asymptotic velocity increments (Δv_∞ ~ 1–13 mm/s) that cannot be reconciled with standard Newtonian gravity, General Relativity (including Lense-Thirring precession), atmospheric drag, or spacecraft thermal dissipation. The empirical formula discovered by Anderson et al. (2008) correlates these shifts with trajectory declinations relative to Earth's equator: Δv_∞ / v_∞ = (2 ω_⊕ R_⊕ / c) (cos δ_in - cos δ_out). Conventional attempts to explain this via geocentric dark matter halos are excluded by lunar laser ranging and LAGEOS/LARES satellite ephemerides. Building upon our foundational series on the physical vacuum as an elastically pre-stressed continuum, we show that the Flyby Anomaly is the direct mechanical consequence of localized torsional shear entrainment in the vacuum substrate. In our framework, spinning celestial bodies drive a stationary azimuthal momentum flow of the surrounding medium (v_sub ∝ ω_⊕ × r). Spacecraft—modeled as macroscopic aggregates of bound topological strain solitons—interact with this circulating substrate momentum flux via non-conservative Cauchy stress gradients. We analytically derive the hyperbolic velocity shift Δv_∞ = (2 ω_⊕ R_⊕ / c) v_∞ (cos δ_in - cos δ_out), reproducing the exact empirical Anderson coefficient 2 ω_⊕ R_⊕ / c ≈ 3.099 × 10^-6 down to sub-percent precision. The anomaly is proven to be a deterministic signature of substrate vorticity transfer under Occam's razor, requiring no dark matter halos or modified relativistic field equations.

Authors

Publication Details

Journal
Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
Published
2026-11-11
DOI
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.24144124
Primary Topic
Relativity and Gravitational Theory
Type
preprint
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preprint

Resolution of the Earth Flyby Anomaly via Substrate Torsional Frame-Dragging: Non-Conservative Cauchy Momentum Transfer and Latitude-Dependent Kinetic Energy Shifts in an Elastically Pre-Stressed Vacuum

Mirko Novák
Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
Relativity and Gravitational Theory
preprint

Resolution of the Earth Flyby Anomaly via Substrate Torsional Frame-Dragging: Non-Conservative Cauchy Momentum Transfer and Latitude-Dependent Kinetic Energy Shifts in an Elastically Pre-Stressed Vacuum

Mirko Novák
preprint en

Abstract

High-precision radio Doppler tracking of spacecraft executing gravity-assist flybys of Earth (Galileo-I, NEAR Shoemaker, Rosetta, Cassini, Juno) has established anomalous asymptotic velocity increments (Δv_∞ ~ 1–13 mm/s) that cannot be reconciled with standard Newtonian gravity, General Relativity (including Lense-Thirring precession), atmospheric drag, or spacecraft thermal dissipation. The empirical formula discovered by Anderson et al. (2008) correlates these shifts with trajectory declinations relative to Earth's equator: Δv_∞ / v_∞ = (2 ω_⊕ R_⊕ / c) (cos δ_in - cos δ_out). Conventional attempts to explain this via geocentric dark matter halos are excluded by lunar laser ranging and LAGEOS/LARES satellite ephemerides. Building upon our foundational series on the physical vacuum as an elastically pre-stressed continuum, we show that the Flyby Anomaly is the direct mechanical consequence of localized torsional shear entrainment in the vacuum substrate. In our framework, spinning celestial bodies drive a stationary azimuthal momentum flow of the surrounding medium (v_sub ∝ ω_⊕ × r). Spacecraft—modeled as macroscopic aggregates of bound topological strain solitons—interact with this circulating substrate momentum flux via non-conservative Cauchy stress gradients. We analytically derive the hyperbolic velocity shift Δv_∞ = (2 ω_⊕ R_⊕ / c) v_∞ (cos δ_in - cos δ_out), reproducing the exact empirical Anderson coefficient 2 ω_⊕ R_⊕ / c ≈ 3.099 × 10^-6 down to sub-percent precision. The anomaly is proven to be a deterministic signature of substrate vorticity transfer under Occam's razor, requiring no dark matter halos or modified relativistic field equations.

Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
Relativity and Gravitational Theory
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