US shuttle Atlantis arrives at space station

WASHINGTON. November 19. KAZINFORM. US space shuttle Atlantis arrived at the International Space Station Wednesday after nearly two days of journey; Kazinform refers to China Daily.

Commander Charles Hobaugh steered the shuttle to a docking with the station at 11:51 am EDT (1651 GMT) when the two spacecraft were flying 220 miles above the Earth between Australia and Tasmania, NASA said.

The shuttle and station crews will open hatches and hold the traditional welcome ceremony at 1:48 pm EDT (1848 GMT). When hatches open, astronauts Nicole Stott's tenure as a station Expedition 21 flight engineer will come to an end as she joints the Atlantis crew.

Atlantis lifted off from Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Monday. Its 11-day flight will include three spacewalks and the installation of two platforms to the station's truss, or backbone. The platforms will hold spare parts to sustain station operations after the shuttles' retirement; Kazinform cites China Daily. See www.chinadaily.com.cn for full fersion.