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The inadvertent photon pressure from a radioisotope source is one of the suggested solutions to the [[Pioneer anomaly]]. The Pioneer space probes are powered by radioisotope thermal generators located on the end of a long arm to keep their radiation away from the spacecraft electronics. In this position the back of the main radio dish is preferentially exposed, meaning that radiation (primarily infra-red) scattered by the dish would tend to be scattered to the rear of the spacecraft. This could lead to a ''tiny'' amount of net thrust being generated, although all calculations to date suggest it is not enough in itself to fully explain the effect.{{Citation needed|date=November 2008}}
A similar phenomenon occurred on the [[New Horizons]] spacecraft; photons (thermal infrared) from the RTG, reflected from the spacecraft's antenna, produced a very small thrust which propelled the spacecraft slightly off course.<ref>[http://pluto.jhuapl.edu/
== References ==
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