Giotto was the first solar system exploration mission carried out by the European Space Agency.&nbsp;In 1986, the Giotto space probe was one of five probes sent to study Halley's comet. It flew through the cloud of dust and gas around the comet at 42 miles per second (68 kilometres per second), passing within 310 miles (500 km) of its icy core.&nbsp;

What did the space probe Giotto do?

Giotto photographed jets of gas spouting from the black surface of the comet's nucleus.Spacecraft achievements:<ul><li>Giotto made the closest approach to Halley's Comet and provided the best data for this comet.</li><li>Giotto was the first spacecraft to provide detailed pictures of a cometary nucleus.</li><li>Giotto was the first spacecraft to make a close flyby of two comets. Young and active comet Halley could be compared to old comet <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/26P/Grigg%E2%80%93Skjellerup" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">26P/Grigg–Skjellerup</a>.</li><li>Giotto was the first spacecraft to return from interplanetary space and perform an Earth swing-by.</li><li>Giotto was the first spacecraft to be re-activated from hibernation mode.</li><li>Giotto was the first spacecraft to use Earth for a gravity assist.</li></ul>

Giotto, European space probe that came within 596 km (370 miles) of the nucleus of <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Halleys-Comet" dir="ltr">Halley’s Comet</a> on March 13, 1986.<figure><img src="https://cdn.britannica.com/s:700x500/82/382-004-75745DB8/Giotto-space-probe-European-Space-Agency-Halleys-1986.jpg" alt="The Giotto space probe, developed and launched by the European Space Agency for a flyby of Halley's Comet in 1986." width="365" height="280"><figcaption dir="auto">The Giotto space probe, developed and launched by the European Space Agency for a flyby of Halley's Comet in 1986.
Courtesy of the European Space Agency</figcaption></figure>Giotto was named after the 14th-century Italian painter <a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Giotto-di-Bondone" dir="ltr">Giotto di Bondone</a>, whose 1305–06 fresco <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/The-Adoration-of-the-Magi-painting-by-Giotto-di-Bondone" dir="ltr">The Adoration of the Magi</a> includes a realistic depiction of a comet as the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/event/Star-of-Bethlehem-celestial-phenomenon" dir="ltr">Star of Bethlehem</a> in the Nativity scene; this image is believed to have been inspired by the artist’s observation of the passage of <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Halleys-Comet" dir="ltr">Halley’s Comet</a> in 1301.<figure><img src="https://cdn.britannica.com/s:700x500/00/4300-050-299CEC0B/nucleus-image-photographs-Comet-Halley-board-Multicolour-14-1986.jpg" alt="Comet Halley nucleus" width="365" height="372"><figcaption dir="auto">Comet Halley nucleus
Composite image of the nucleus of Comet Halley produced from 68 photographs taken on March 13–14, 1986, by the Halley Multicolour Camera onboard the Giotto spacecraft.
Courtesy of H.U. Keller; copyright Max-Planck-Institut für Aeronomie, Lindau, Ger., 1986</figcaption></figure>Giotto was the first solar system exploration mission carried out by the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/European-Space-Agency" dir="ltr">European Space Agency</a>. Its objective was to image and analyze the nucleus of Halley’s Comet and to study other characteristics of the comet during its next periodic swing through the inner solar system in 1986. The spacecraft was launched by an <a href="https://www.britannica.com/technology/Ariane-European-launch-vehicles" dir="ltr">Ariane</a> 1 rocket on <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/July" dir="ltr">July</a> 2, 1985. Data from the Soviet Vega spacecraft, which also investigated Halley’s Comet, enabled Giotto’s controllers to home in on the comet’s nucleus. In its approach to the nucleus, Giotto returned a wealth of scientifically valuable data, including vivid images. It determined that the comet was 80 percent <a href="https://www.britannica.com/science/water" dir="ltr">water</a>, with a dust-covered, uneven surface darker than coal, and that the comet was composed of primitive material dating from the formation of the solar system.Fourteen seconds before closest approach, Giotto was hit by a large particle ejected from the comet nucleus; this caused loss of data from the spacecraft and damaged some of its instruments, but others survived with little or no damage. The surviving instruments allowed Giotto, after "hibernating" for more than six years, to carry out a July 10, 1992, close encounter with the nucleus of Comet Grigg-Skjellerup. Giotto, no longer returning data, remains in orbit around the Sun.<div>
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Giotto, European space probe that came within 596 km (370 miles) of the nucleus of Halley’s Comet on March 13, 1986. Giotto was named after the 14th-century Italian painter Giotto di Bondone, whose 1305–06 fresco The Adoration of the Magi includes a realistic depiction of a comet as the Star of

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Giotto , European space probe that came within 596 km (370 miles) of the nucleus of <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Halleys-Comet">Halley’s Comet </a>on March 13, 1986.

Giotto was named after the 14th-century Italian painter <a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Giotto-di-Bondone">Giotto di Bondone </a>, whose 1305–06 fresco <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/The-Adoration-of-the-Magi-painting-by-Giotto-di-Bondone">The Adoration of the Magi </a> includes a realistic depiction of a comet as the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/event/Star-of-Bethlehem-celestial-phenomenon">Star of Bethlehem </a>in the Nativity scene; this image is believed to have been inspired by the artist’s observation of the passage of <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Halleys-Comet">Halley’s Comet </a>in 1301.

Giotto was the first solar system exploration mission carried out by the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/European-Space-Agency">European Space Agency </a>. Its objective was to image and analyze the nucleus of Halley’s Comet and to study other characteristics of the comet during its next periodic swing through the inner solar system in 1986. The spacecraft was launched by an <a href="https://www.britannica.com/technology/Ariane-European-launch-vehicles">Ariane </a>1 rocket on <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/July">July </a>2, 1985. Data from the Soviet Vega spacecraft, which also investigated Halley’s Comet, enabled Giotto’s controllers to home in on the comet’s nucleus. In its approach to the nucleus, Giotto returned a wealth of scientifically valuable data, including vivid images. It determined that the comet was 80 percent <a href="https://www.britannica.com/science/water">water </a>, with a dust-covered, uneven surface darker than coal, and that the comet was composed of primitive material dating from the formation of the solar system.

Fourteen seconds before closest approach, Giotto was hit by a large particle ejected from the comet nucleus; this caused loss of data from the spacecraft and damaged some of its instruments, but others survived with little or no damage. The surviving instruments allowed Giotto, after "hibernating" for more than six years, to carry out a July 10, 1992, close encounter with the nucleus of Comet Grigg-Skjellerup. Giotto, no longer returning data, remains in orbit around the Sun.

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What did the space probe Giotto do?

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