Space shuttle Atlantis arrived at the International Space Station for a weeklong stay, and the astronauts quickly unloaded a huge platform full of spare parts needed to keep the outpost running for another decade.

With 100 internet-savvy Nasa fans cheering on the shuttle and churning out constant Twitter updates, Atlantis sailed smoothly into orbit with six astronauts and a full load of spare parts for the International Space Station.

The final moments on board space shuttle Columbia were revealed today as Nasa published transcripts of its last radio contacts with mission control.