Moscow, Oct 20: A Soyuz spacecraft carrying a Russian, American and Spanish crew docked with the international space station today, two days after blasting off from the Russian manned space facility in Kazakhstan. Astronauts Michael Foale of the United States and Russian Alexander Kaleri are the eighth crew to have flown to the space station for long-term occupation since the inaugural crew arrived on Nov. 2, 2000. Thee also have been four shot-term missions using Soyuz craft.
Pedro Duque of Spain, a European space agency astronaut traveling with Foale and Kaleri, is to remain aboard the station for eight days and return on Oct. 27 with American Ed Lu and Russian Yuri Malenchenko, who have been aboard since April 28.
Bureau Report