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THE
MISSION:
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.
ORBIT:
Circular orbit inside the Earth's for five years,
followed by a wider orbit outside the Earth's
for another two years.
ACHIEVEMENTS:
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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