SHUTTLE DOCKS WITH INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION, 2001-03-10 (photo)

Astronauts on board the space shuttle Discovery open the hatch after docking with the International Space Station March 10, 2001. The final moments of the docking, in which a series of hooks and latches secured the shuttle to the station, were completed without any direct communication between ship and ground. Discovery is delivering a new crew to the space station and dropping off several tons of supplies. Space station commander William Shepherd and his two crewmates, Russians Sergei Krikalyov and Yuri Gidzenko, will ride Discovery back to Earth after living aboard the station since November 2. This is the first crew exchange on the station, which will be staffed by rotating crews of Russian-American crews throughout its construction, expected to last until 2006. ME/