Spaceship Giotto and Halley’s Comet, EUROPA Issue Europe in Space, Republic of Cyprus

Spaceship Giotto and Halley’s Comet, EUROPA Issue Europe in Space, Republic of Cyprus

Postage stamps--Cyprus--History

Γραμματόσημα--Κύπρος--Ιστορία

Ever since the dawn of civilization mankind has been fascinated by the night sky, the stars, ears and people long ago considered them a bad omen. Ancient mariners navigated by the stars; but it is only in the last fifty years that space, exploration and space travel have taken a new dimension beyond the wildest imaginations of past generations. The European spaceship "Giotto" is named after the painter who founded the Florentine School of painting. In his fresco "Adoration of the Magi" in Scrovegni Chapel at Padua, Italy, Halley's comet appears as the Star of Bethlehem. The spaceship was launched on July 2nd 1985 by an Arianne rocket from the Kourou site in French Guiana; its mission was to track Halley's comet. On March 14th 1986 it passed by the comet at a distance of 375 miles and its censors relayed a wealth of information the processing of which will require some years to complete. Today mankind's quest is to go beyond our galaxy, the Milky Way, and discover new worlds and maybe life on some distant yet undiscovered planet. The known universe extends to a distance of 20,000 million light years.

Cyprus Post, Republic of Cyprus

Κυπριακά Ταχυδρομεία, Κυπριακή Δημοκρατία

Cyprus Post, Republic of Cyprus

Κυπριακά Ταχυδρομεία, Κυπριακή Δημοκρατία

Library of Cyprus University of Technology

Digital Heritage Research Lab of Cyprus University of Technology

6th May 1991

Designer: G. Simonis

Απαγορεύεται η δημοσίευση ή αναπαραγωγή, ηλεκτρονική ή άλλη χωρίς τη γραπτή συγκατάθεση του δημιουργού.

www.cypruspost.gov.cy

TIFF

EL, EN

Image

1991-EUROPA-18C

35.160417, 33.346556

Alex Matsoukis, Athens