Halley Armada report

Abstract

The international missions concerned with study of Comet Halley are examined. The difficulties encountered in the planning of the comet missions, due to the orbit and environment of Comet Halley and the need to protect the spacecraft from the comets, are discussed. The objectives of the U.S. Giotto, ESA and USSR Vega, and Japanese Suisei spacecraft were to examine the operation and cosmology of the comet. Diagrams of the spacecraft, and a table of the instruments on each of the spacecraft and their capabilities are presented. Preliminary results, obtained during the missions, on cosmic dust and gases and the interaction of the comet with solar wind are analyzed.