On this day in space! Sept. 11, 1985: The International Cometary Explorer makes 1st comet flyby in history for NASA and Europe
On Sept. 11, 1985, the International Cometary Explorer, or "ICE," became the first spacecraft to fly by a comet. Here's why it mattered.
On September 11, 1985, the International Cometary Explorer (ICE), a spacecraft built collaboratively by NASA, the European Space Research Organisation and the European Space Agency, accomplished a groundbreaking feat: becoming the first ever to fly by a comet. Originally launched in 1978 as the International Sun-Earth Explorer-3 (ISEE-3), the spacecraft had completed its initial mission to study space weather before embarking on its historic comet flybys.
After looping around the sun, ICE re-engaged with Comet Giacobini-Zinner in 1985, passing through its plasma tail before moving on to observe Halley's Comet in 1986. The mission not only marked a significant milestone in space exploration, but also provided valuable data that bolstered understanding of cometary composition and behavior.
Multiple instruments onboard the probe, such as the solar wind detector and the cosmic ray measuring gear, were used to gather comprehensive information about the comet. Following the mission's shutdown in 1995, ICE regained public attention in 2014 when a team of independent scientists attempted to reactivate it, despite limited success.
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