Smiles all round as shuttledocks

THE smiling astronauts of the space shuttle Discovery entered the international space station yesterday to deliver a German crew member, the first European to work on the orbiting platform.

After the hatches opened, American astronaut Jeff Williams, who has been living aboard the space station since March 31, told ground controllers that he hasn’t seen a frown in three months.

But then it was down to the business of safety training for Discovery’s seven astronauts, who had to learn how to deal with station emergencies as part of protocol.