Welcome to "On This Day … in Space!" where we peer back in our archives to find historic moments in spaceflight and astronomy. So enjoy a blast from the past with Space.com's Hanneke Weitering to look back at what happened on this day in space!
On July 2, 1985, the European Space Agency launched the Giotto space probe to get a close-up look at Halley's Comet.
Photos of Halley's Comet Through History
Nearly nine months after launch, on March 14, 1986, Giotto became the first spacecraft to observe of a comet up close when it flew by Halley's Comet. It came within 370 miles of the comet's surface.
Best Close Encounters of the Comet Kind
Giotto was named after the early Renaissance painter Giotto di Bondone, who had depicted Halley's Comet as the star of Bethlehem in his painting, "Adoration of the Magi."
Halley's Comet: Facts About the Most Famous Comet
Eta Aquarids: Meteor Shower From Halley's Comet
Orionid Meteor Shower: Leftovers of Halley's Comet
Edmond Halley Biography: Facts, Discoveries and Quotes
Catch up on our entire "On This Day In Space" series on YouTube with the playlist here.
Email Hanneke Weitering at hweitering@space.com or follow her @hannekescience. Follow us @Spacedotcom, Facebook and Google+.
Let’s block ads! (Why?)
https://www.space.com/39251-on-this-day-in-space.html On This Day In Space! July 3, 1998: Japan Launches Nozomi Mars Mission
[bestandroiddoubledinheadunit950.blogspot.com]On This Day In Space! July 3, 1998: Japan Launches Nozomi Mars Mission
No comments:
Post a Comment