![The shuttle and station crews opened hatches and the Atlantis crew was welcomed onboard the space station at 1:28 p.m. EST [16:28 GMT] - Sputnik International](https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/15689/80/156898057_0:0:0:0_600x0_80_0_0_083603eea3a92b589f6be76ee828829b.jpg "The shuttle and station crews opened hatches and the Atlantis crew was welcomed onboard the space station at 1:28 p.m. EST [16:28 GMT]")
MOSCOW, November 18 (RIA Novosti) - The Atlantis shuttle, launched from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Monday, has successfully docked with the International Space Station (ISS), NASA said on its website.
The docking was performed on Wednesday at 11:51 a.m. EST [14:51 GMT].
"The shuttle and station crews opened hatches and the Atlantis crew was welcomed onboard the space station at 1:28 p.m. EST [16:28 GMT]," NASA said.
The six-man Atlantis crew is commanded by Charles Hobaugh and piloted by Barry Wilmore. Mission Specialists are Robert Satcher Jr., Mike Foreman, Randy Bresnik and Leland Melvin.
It is delivering over 13 tons of supplies and equipment, including two gyroscopes and EXPRESS Logistics Carrier 1 and 2, to the ISS. The mission envisions three spacewalks.
Atlantis mission will return ISS crew member Nicole Stott to Earth and is planned to be the final space shuttle crew rotation flight. Stott spent two and a half months on board the ISS.
Only five U.S. space shuttle missions remain before the shuttle fleet is retired next year. Russian, European and Japanese space freighters will keep the ISS supplied until NASA deploys its new capsule-style Orion spacecraft.
