Giotto's reactivation and Earth swing-by.
Abstract
Two 'space firsts' have been achieved this year with ESA's cometary spacecraft 'Giotto', which explored Comet Halley in March 1986. After 1419 days of hibernation out of ground contact, communications were re-established and the spacecraft re-activated. Eighteen weeks later, Giotto returned from deep space to make an earth-gravity-assist swing-by to boost the spacecraft onto a course for an encounter with another comet, Grigg-Skjellerup.
- Publication:
-
ESA Bulletin
- Pub Date:
- November 1990
- Bibcode:
- 1990ESABu..64...50M
- Keywords:
-
- Giotto Mission;
- Grigg-Skjellerup Comet;
- Halley'S Comet;
- Spacecraft Communication;
- Swingby Technique;
- European Space Programs;
- Hydrazines;
- Mission Planning;
- Orbital Maneuvers;
- Spacecraft Tracking;
- Space Communications, Spacecraft Communications, Command and Tracking;
- Astrodynamics: Space Vehicles;
- Comets: Space Missions