Spacecraft circling Mars Takes Pictures of Fellow Orbiters

WWW.SFGate.com
5-19-05

     U.S. and European spacecraft orbiting Mars are seen in pictures taken by another spacecraft orbiting the Red Planet, Jet Propulsion Laboratory said Thursday.

     The images taken by NASA's Mars Global Surveyor show NASA's Mars Odyssey and the European Space Agency's Mars Express.

     JPL said the images mark the first time a spacecraft orbiting another planet has taken pictures of other spacecraft orbiting the same planet.

     Mars Global Surveyor's camera photographed Mars Express from a distance of about 155 miles on April 20 and the next day took a picture of Mars Odyssey at a distance of 56 to 84 miles.

     Mars Global Surveyor has been orbiting Mars since 1997 and Mars Odyssey since 2001. Mars Express reached the planet in 2003.

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