The space shuttle Endeavourhas arrived at the international space station. The two spacecraft linked up as they sailed 240 miles above the South Pacific.
Space station Alpha's Russian commander, MrYuri Onufrienko, and American astronauts Mr Carl Walz and Mr Daniel Bursch have been living aboard the orbiting outpost for six months.
Endeavour, which launched on Wednesday, is delivering two Russian cosmonauts and one American astronaut who will call Alpha home for the next 4 1/2 months.
While Endeavouris docked to Alpha for eight days, shuttle astronauts Mr Franklin Chang-Diaz and Mr Philippe Perrin will perform three spacewalks to repair the space station robot arm's wrist and install a base that will let the robot arm traverse the outpost.
PA