It was No. 1 on a list of critical supplies they were delivering, and the Atlantis astronauts weren't going to waste any time.
Seconds after the hatches between the space shuttle and Russia's decrepit Mir station swung open Saturday, the Atlantis crew pushed through a new motion-control computer to replace the one that has crashed three times in three weeks.And Mir's new American crewman, David Wolf, wasted no time in guaranteeing ground controllers that he was comfortable aboard the aging station, his home for the next four months. The risk of putting another American on Mir has been debated by members of Congress and others for the past several weeks.
"I'm going to like this place," Wolf said.
Wolf woke up on the shuttle Sunday morning and prepared for his big move into the space station. He didn't have enough time to swap places with Mir astronaut Michael Foale on Saturday night.
Atlantis, carrying the 41-year-old doctor-engineer and six others, pulled up and docked two hours earlier as Mir's central computer held it steady at a crucial time. Engineers had discussed for days what to do if the temperamental computer failed as the shuttle approached.
Such a breakdown usually leaves Mir drifting aimlessly in orbit and forces the crew to shut down much of the station's power.
But NASA flight controllers reported that all Mir systems worked fine during the rendezvous, and only a minor shift by the shuttle was needed as it latched onto the station 250 miles above the Russian-Kazak border.
Upon floating into the station, the Atlantis crew members were greeted with hugs, handshakes and smiles from Foale, who has spent 41/2 trying months on Mir, and his two Russian crewmates.
The 10 space travelers chatted in Russian and in English, and for Foale, someone excitedly yelled out "Mikey!!"
Foale, who was aboard Mir in June when a cargo ship plowed into the station and nearly forced the crew to evacuate in their escape capsule, said he's eager to see his family and his quickly growing 3-year-old son.
Because of all of the problems over the past seven months - including a fire that sent chucks of molten metal flying across the 11 1/2-year-old station - Wolf's stay was not approved by NASA until just hours before Thursday's launch.
"There was a lot of discussion about the risk," shuttle commander James Wetherbee said from Mir once the two crews gathered together. "We are here to tell you, all 10 of us, that we think the benefits far outweigh the risk and that's why we're here."
During the six days the spaceships are linked, the crews will carry water, food, plugs for holes, pressurized air tanks and other important gear from Atlantis to the station.