Spacecraft circling Mars takes pictures of fellow orbiters

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

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

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