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Giotto and Comet Grigg-Skjellerup Approach Trajectories

Giotto and Comet Grigg-Skjellerup Approach Trajectories


Date: 01 April 1992
Satellite: Giotto
Depicts: Encounter with comet Grigg-Skjellerup
Copyright: ESA

This is slide 7 of 12 from the second Giotto slide set. The following caption is the one originally provided with the slide set. In this computer graphic Giotto and Comet Grigg-Skjellerup are shown approaching each other, as seen from outer space. Earth is in the background. The spacecraft, comet, and Earth are all moving in roughly the same direction. Because of this, the relative velocity between Giotto and the comet Grigg-Skjelierup will be considerably smaller than at the encounter with Halley. Passing through the ecliptic plane from the north, the comet will 'catch-up' with the spacecraft, since its orbital velocity will be 38.23 km/s, compared with Giotto's 30.64 km/s. It is expected that Giotto will pass within 1000 km of the nucleus.
Last Update: 1 September 2019
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22-Dec-2024 05:29 UT

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