Giotto, spacecraft to Halley's Comet, launched 1985

European Space Agency's Giotto spacecraft, launched July 2, 1985, visited Halley's Comet in March 1986. It followed the Soviet Union's Vega 1 and Vega 2.  Giotto passed the comet successfully despite being hit by small particles.  One collision sent the spacecraft spinning off its stabilized axis.  The antenna was not pointed toward earth and the dust shield was not in a position to protect its instruments.  After 32 minutes, Giotto stabilized itself and continued gathering data.

Another collision destroyed the multi-color camera, but after it took close-up pictures of the nucleus.  It was turned off March 15, 1986.

ESA woke up Giotto July 2, 1990 for a flyby of Comet Grigg-Skjellerup on July 10.  Giotto was again switched off.

The spacecraft is named after Italian Renaissance painter Giotto di Bondone, who witnessed Halley's Comet in 1301 and depicted it as the star of Bethlehem in his painting Adoration of the Magi.

Giotto probe visits Comet 26P/Grigg-Skjellerup 1992

The European Space Agency launched the Giotto probe in July 1985, and on July 10, 1992, it made its closest approach to Comet 26P/Grigg-Skjellerup. 

The probe first made contact with Halley's Comet in March 1986, but during the flyby, the probe's camera was destroyed.  When Giotto passed by Comet 26P/Grigg-Skjellerup, it could not take any images. 

Giotto spacecraft flies by Halley's Comet 1986

Launched July 2, 1985 by the European Space Agency, the spacecraft Giotto made its closest approach to Halley's Comet, March 14, 1986.  Giotto passed less than 600 km from the comet's nucleus and sent back stunning pictures.  It survived several impacts from small objects and one even knocked it off its axis so its antenna did not point toward Earth and its on-board instruments were not protected by its dust shield.

Thirty-two minutes later it re-oriented itself and continued sending back data.  The Halley Multicolor Camera was destroyed by an impact but not before Giotto made its closest approach.

The following day, ESA turned off its instruments until July 2, 1990 when Giotto was reactivated so it could make a flyby of Comet Grigg-Skjellerup in July 1992, making it the first probe to visit two comets.

Giotto was part of a "Halley Armada" which was composed of several probes from different space agencies.  The Soviets sent Vega 1 and Vega 2.  Vega 1 made its closes approach, just under 9000 km, on March 6 and Vega 2 followed on March 9. 

The Japanese also sent two, Sagigake (March 11) and Suisei (March 8), but their closest approaches were about 1M km.