The Giotto Rendez-vous with Comet Halley - 20 years ago.
ESA wrote space history, on 13/14 March 1986, when its space probe Giotto passed by Comet Halley at a distance of just 600 kilometres, taking spectacular images of the comet's nucleus and successfully completing Europe's first deep space mission.
Today's Exchange provides an account of this event, without which Europe would probably not be the major player in planetary exploration it has become since.

20 YEARS OF GIOTTO
A-Roll
10:00:40 Halleyís Comet has been a source of interest and fascination for centuries. Its most famous representation is maybe the Bethlehem comet painted by Giotto di Bondone in 1304. Once every 76 years, this mysterious object returns from the far corners of our Solar system for a brief rendez-vous with the Sun, and spectators here on Earth.
10:01:05 The last time was exactly 20 years ago, in 1986.
10:01:25 Only months before, ESA launched its first deep space mission, Giotto, on a mission to this comet. The encounter took place in the night of 13 to 14 March 1986, three minutes after midnight, exactly as planned, coming as close as 600 kilometres to take images of the cometís nucleus and prove that comets have a solid heart. A milestone mission,
10:01:53 Giotto was part of an ambitious international effort, including probes from Japan and the Soviet Union to solve the mysteries surrounding Comet Halley.
10:02:06 One of the main challenges for ES