Cape Canaveral, Florida - The space shuttle Atlantis arrived at the International Space Station on Wednesday on a supply mission to build up its reserves. Atlantis, which launched from the Kennedy Space Centre on an 11- day mission on Monday, carries six astronauts to the station 350 kilometres above Earth.
Before docking, Atlantis did a backflip manoeuvre that allowed astronauts to check for any damage to the shuttle's heat shield. NASA officials said after launch that they did not have any concerns about damage to heat shield tiles during launch.
The crew is bringing thousands of kilogrammes of supplies as the shuttle programme enters its expected final year in 2010. After this week's mission, there are just five more flights scheduled.
The shuttle will deliver two platforms with 12,360 kilogrammes of spare parts, which will be installed on the outside of the station. It is also bringing replacement parts for a urine recycling system that has frequently malfunctioned and been supplied with new parts since being installed a year ago.
As the first of several flights devoted largely to delivering spare parts, this mission is laden with the highest-priority items.
The so-called Express Logistics Carriers contain a variety of crucial parts: Gyroscopes that help keep the ISS at the proper altitude in space; an extra hand for the station's robotic arm; a gas tank for providing oxygen to the airlock during spacewalks; parts for the station's cooling system.
Astronauts will conduct three six-hour spacewalks to transfer spare parts and prepare for the installation of new modules. The first is set for Thursday, when two spacewalkers will focus on transferring a spare antenna, attaching power for heaters and lubricating the Japanese robotic arm.
The retirement deadline of the shuttle is fast approaching with just five more launches scheduled and one year left to go in the programme.
NASA is at work on developing the next generation spacecraft with an eye on returning humans to the moon or travelling to Mars and beyond. It will carry the crew on top of the rocket in a configuration that recalls the Apollo moon missions and which engineers say is safer than the space shuttle design, following the explosion of the Columbia in 2003.
The flight is the last time the shuttle will be used to take an ISS crew member back to Earth. US astronaut Nicole Stott has been living aboard the ISS for three months.
