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| Artist's impression of Giotto and Halley's Comet
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| LAUNCH DATE: |
02-Jul-1985 11:23 UT
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| MISSION END: | 23-July-1992 |
| LAUNCH VEHICLE: | Ariane 1 rocket (flight V14) |
| LAUNCH MASS: | 960 kg |
| MISSION PHASE: |
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Circular orbit inside the Earth's for five years, followed by a wider orbit outside the Earth's for another two years. |
Europe's first deep space mission, first close-up images of a comet nucleus including Comet Halley, first spacecraft to encounter two comets and first deep space mission to change orbit by returning to Earth for a gravity assist. |
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ESA's first deep space mission, Giotto was designed to help solve the mysteries surrounding Comet Halley by passing as close as possible to the comet's nucleus, which it achieved on 13 March 1986. No-one expected the spacecraft to survive its battering from comet dust during this encounter, but although Giotto was damaged during the flyby, most of its instruments remained operational. The mission was extended to allow an unprecedented encounter with a second comet, Grigg-Skjellerup.
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