Giotto 1985-6 ESA Mission Patch
Giotto 1985-6 ESA Mission Patch
This ESA mission patch was produced for the Giotto mission - ESA's first deep space mission. The patch includes the dates 1985-86, with the mission planed to launch in 1985 and flyby and study Halley's Comet in 1986. However, after surviving its encounter with the comet better than expected, Giotto was directed towards a second comet - Grigg-Skjellerup. It passed by Grigg-Skjellerup in 1992, before ending its ground breaking mission.The patch depicts the Giotto satellite heading towards a representation of Comet Halley. The Giotto mission was the first to take close-up images of a comet nucleus, revealing the true size and shape of Halley's nucleus.
The Giotto mission was named after Renaissance painter Giotto di Bondone, who included Halley's Comet in his painting, 'The Adoration of the Magi'. Halley's Comet is visible from Earth with the naked eye around every 75 years. Therefore, it has featured in paintings and even the Bayeux Tapestry, which depicts the Battle of Hastings in 1066 - a year that the comet could be seen from Earth.
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More information
Object number
2022-11
Location
Artefact Store
Has this object been into space?
No
Dimension - Dimension, Value, Measurement unit
Diameter: 10cm
Depth: 0.2cm
Material
Cotton
Object Production Date
1980s
Object Production Organisation
ESA
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