The first Brazilian in space has docked with the International Space Station, two days after blasting off from the Baikonur cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.
The Soyuz TMA-8 capsule arrived at the orbiting station and latched on just after 8:19 a.m. (11:19 p.m. EST last night), guided into place automatically by computers on the capsule and on the station.
Dozens of Brazilian, American and Russian officials fell into hushed silence at Russia's Mission Control Center in Korolyov, outside Moscow, as the capsule neared the station, then broke into applause when contact was made.
"Well, gentlemen, I congratulate you," a Mission Control announcer said.
"This is the international space station. The train does not go any further, please leave the cars," he said, imitating the announcement made at the end of each line on the Moscow subway system.
Cosmonaut Pavel Vinogradov and astronaut Jeffrey Williams, who will replace the current crew for six months on the orbiting station, were joined on the trip by Brazil's first man in space, Marcos C. Pontes, who will return to Earth on April 9.
About 1 1/2 hours after the docking, the air locks were opened and Williams, Vinogradov and Pontes floated into the station, greeted with handshakes and hugs by the crew's outgoing inhabitants - Valery Tokarev and American Bill McArthur.
"You didn't happen to leave anyone behind?" joked Russian space agency official Alexei Krasnov after making telephone contact with all five men and pointing out that the arrival fell on April 1 - April Fool's Day.
Pontes quickly unfurled a Brazilian flag and smiled widely as he floated into the station's main compartment.
"Until the very moment that he returns to Earth, the hearts of all Brazilians will be following him," said Raimondo Mussi, a Brazilian space agency official who monitored the docking at Mission Control.
Crew commander Vinogradov has said they plan to carry out at least one space walk and more than 65 scientific experiments during the mission, including some to test human reaction to prolonged space travel.