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Post Info TOPIC: First Photos of Orbiters


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First Photos of Orbiters
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The Mars Global Surveyor spacecraft recently photographed two other spacecraft, Mars Odyssey and Mars Express, orbiting Mars.
These are the first pictures ever taken of a spacecraft orbiting a foreign planet by another spacecraft orbiting that planet.
Mars Express was passing about 245 Kms away when the Mars Orbiter
Camera on Mars Global Surveyor photographed it on April 20. The next
day, the camera caught Mars Odyssey passing 89 - 134 Kms away.



Quite a feat considering all three spacecraft are moving at almost 10,000 Kms per hour.
The Mars Orbiter Camera can resolve features on the surface of Mars as small as a few metres across from Mars Global Surveyor's orbital altitude of 350 - 405 kilometres. From a distance of 100 kilometres, the camera would be able to resolve features substantially smaller than 1 meter or yard across.

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