US billionaire space tourist Charles Simonyi and two Russian cosmonauts floated into the international space station early yesterday, sharing back slaps, hugs and smiles with the station's three crew members.
More than two days and several thousand kilometers after blasting off from the Baikonur cosmodrome, the cramped Soyuz capsule carrying Simonyi, Fyodor Yurchikhin and Oleg Kotov docked automatically at 11:10pm.
The three travelers opened the air locks and entered the station about 90 minutes later, to the applause of Russian and US officials and visitors at Russian Mission Control -- including lifestyle maven Martha Stewart.
Stewart is a friend of Simonyi, a US software programmer who shelled out US$25 million to make the journey to the station and become the world's fifth paying private space traveler.
A video linkup at Korolyov, on the outskirts of Moscow, showed the station's now six inhabitants joyfully greeting one another before receiving congratulations and well-wishes from Earth.
"How did the launch look?" Simonyi asked spectators at Mission Control.
"The launch was beautiful, Charles," Stewart told Simonyi. "I just want to say that we are happy for the safe and beautiful trip and I want you to know that we all think that you are a true pioneer."
"Martha, it is really an honor to be here on this outpost," Simonyi said.
Simonyi, who is Hungarian born, then turned upside down -- to the amusement of spectators -- and shared greetings in Hungarian with his brother, Tomas.
While Yurchikhin and Kotov were at the beginning of a six-month stint on the station, Simonyi is to return to Earth on April 20, along with Russian Mikhail Tyurin and Miguel Lopez-Alegria of the US, both of whom have been on the station since last September.
The US' Sunita Williams will remain on board with Yurchikhin and Kotov.
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