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Cool stuff. Using a robotic arm, astronauts on board the Space Station captured the unmanned vehicle. "It's exciting to be an American and part of putting American spacecraft into orbit, and we're very proud right now," SpaceX mission director John Couluris said. It's considered the big first test of a privately funded space mission. NASA is handing over routine orbital flights to private business so it can concentrate on bigger projects. (AP)
From the LAT:
The linkup took place about 250 miles above northwest Australia at 6:56 a.m. PDT. "Looks like we got us a Dragon by the tail," Pettit confirmed. At that moment, engineers watching at SpaceX's control center at their Hawthorne headquarters, as well as NASA mission control in Houston, began cheering, with rounds of high-fives and handshakes. The cone-shaped capsule was grappled to the station's arm after three days of circling the Earth. NASA is now determining when the spacecraft should dock with the station and when crew should unload the half-ton of cargo, water and clothes.
NASA photo of the Dragon connected to the International Space Station
Mark Lacter created the LA Biz Observed blog in 2006. He posted
until the day before his death on Nov. 13, 2013.