Best-Fit Estimate of Relativistic Effects in Time-Delay Experiments

Time-delay experiments are analyzed within the frame of a curved space-time. Residuals from Newtonian best fits of relativistic data are used as a measure of the "relativistic effects." Radial transponder trajectories are considered. If the motion is towards the sun, the relativistic residuals are of the order of 100 m. If the motion is away from the sun, they are at the 10-km level and the fraction due to the second-order curvature of the metric is at the 1-km level. Those effects are significantly smaller than those calculated from the divergence of the Newtonian and relativistic predictions after exact fit of the initial measurements.