LONGUEUIL, Que. -
A Russian Soyuz spacecraft carrying Canadian astronaut Bob Thirsk and two others has docked on the International Space Station.
Thirsk will be on the station for six months, the longest period a Canadian astronaut has ever spent in space.
The 55-year-old Canadian, a Russian cosmonaut and a Belgian from the European Space Agency, lifted into space two days ago from the Baikonur cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.
Soyuz commander Roman Romanenko flew around the space station before docking on schedule with the Russian module at about 6:35 a.m. MT.
Thirsk will soon be joined by fellow Canadian Julie Payette who blasts off June 13 aboard the U.S. space shuttle Endeavour on a 16-day mission.
When she goes into orbit, it will also be the first time Canada has had two astronauts in space at the same time.
