  The Doppler-tracking data of the Pioneer 10 and 11 spacecraft show an
unmodelled constant acceleration in the direction of the inner Solar System.
Serious efforts have been undertaken to find a conventional explanation for
this effect, all without success at the time of writing. Hence the effect,
commonly dubbed the Pioneer anomaly, is attracting considerable attention.
Unfortunately, no other space mission has reached the long-term navigation
accuracy to yield an independent test of the effect. To fill this gap we
discuss strategies for an experimental verification of the anomaly via an
upcoming space mission. Emphasis is put on two plausible scenarios:
nondedicated concepts employing either a planetary exploration mission to the
outer Solar System or a piggybacked micro-spacecraft to be launched from a
mother spacecraft travelling to Saturn or Jupiter. The study analyses the
impact of a Pioneer anomaly test on the system and trajectory design for these
two paradigms. It is found that both paradigms are capable of verifying the
Pioneer anomaly and determine its magnitude at 10% level. Moreover the concepts
can discriminate between the most plausible classes of models of the anomaly, a
central force, a blueshift of the radio signal and a drag-like force. The
necessary adaptions of the system and mission design do not impair the
planetary exploration goals of the missions.
