Mon, March 30, 2009
The Russian Soyuz craft carrying space tourist Charles Simonyi and his fellow astronauts reached the International Space Station slightly ahead of schedule.
It all went to plan apart from a slight hitch with its steering thrusters.
American billionaire Simonyi is making history.
He's the first space tourist to make the trip twice at a total cost of 60 million dollars.
He first travelled to the space station two years ago and says it's changed a lot.
SOUNDBITE; Charles Simonyi, space tourist, saying (English):
"Yes, it looks fantastic. It's improved quite a bit since the first time. I've seen a lot of improvements and of course the enlargement. It's an amazing sight."
Simonyi's travelling companions are due to stay aboard the ISS for six months.
He'll return to Earth with the departing crew who've been on duty since October last year.
It's a busy time for the space station.
ON Saturday the U.S. space shuttle Discovery landed safely in Florida after a 13-day mission.
The craft delivered the final section of the space station's backbone with the fourth and last set of solar panel wings.
It also delivered the station's first Japanese crew member to live aboard the 100 billion dollar orbital outpost.
NASA's next shuttle mission is a servicing trip to the Hubble Telescope due to lift off in May.
Paul Chapman, Reuters
