US Shuttle Atlantis Docks With Space Station

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Thursday, April 11, 2002

US Shuttle Atlantis Docks With Space Station

U.S. space shuttle Atlantis and its seven-member crew concluded their pursuit of the International Space Station (ISS) on Wednesday and docked with theorbital outpost at 12:05 EDT (1605 GMT).

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U.S. space shuttle Atlantis and its seven-member crew concluded their pursuit of the International Space Station (ISS) on Wednesday and docked with theorbital outpost at 12:05 EDT (1605 GMT).

The linkup occurred as the two spacecraft were flying above China, said officials from the U.S. space agency NASA.

About two hours after the docking, the hatches between the two spacecraft will open and Onufrienko, Bursch and Walz, the Expedition 4 crew aboard the space station, will greet their firstvisitors since last December.

The 10 astronauts will spend a week in joint operations, including the installment of a new exterior truss onto the ISS. They are scheduled to perform four spacewalks.

The 13-meter-long girderlike segment will be the centerpiece ofthe station's exterior framework and will lay the foundation for an eventual structure that will stretch more than 100 meters.

The truss segment carried to the station by Atlantis also includes the first space railroad along with a space railcar whichwill be used to transport the space station's robot arm and cargo.

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