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Which spacecraft flew past Halley’s Comet in 1986?

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Edmond Halley Edmond Halley, detail of an oil painting by Richard Phillips, c. 1720; in the National Portrait Gallery, London.

In March 1986, five interplanetary spacecraft flew past Halley’s Comet to conduct scientific investigations:

Giotto: A probe from the European Space Agency that passed within 596 km (370 miles) of the comet's nucleus.12
Vega 1 and Vega 2: Two Soviet spacecraft.2
Sakigake and Suisei: Two Japanese spacecraft.2

Data gathered by these missions, particularly the close-up images and analysis provided by Giotto, confirmed that the comet's nucleus was a solid body—often described as a "dirty snowball"—composed of water ice, volatile ices, and dust.12