Space shuttle Discovery

The US Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) announced that on the afternoon of April 7, Space Shuttle Discovery successfully assembled with the International Space Station (ISS).

The shuttle Discovery image "landed" ISS on NASA TV.(Photo: Reuters).

With a mission to last 13 days, Discovery ship carries nearly 8 tons of cargo, including a refrigeration device to preserve samples such as blood, urine, bacteria used in experiments in gravity Micro with the hope of further analysis when returning to Earth, and an exercise machine to study the effects of the non-gravity environment on human musculoskeletal systems.

On Discovery ship, there are seven astronauts, including three women. Expected, astronauts will make three walks out of space.

Discovery ship was launched into space on April 5 from the Kennedy Space Center, Florida. This is the launch of the 131th space shuttle by the US Aeronautics Agency (NASA) and one of the last launches before the agency gave the space shuttle "Discovery" Atlantis and Endeavor "retirement". September this year.

At 10 years old by November 20, 2008, ISS is the largest international space project ever, with a total cost of $ 100 billion and the participation of 16 countries.

The current weight of the ISS is over 300 tons and will reach 377 tons after being completed.

At first scientists expected the operating time of ISS on orbit to be 15 years.

Currently the participating countries are planning to extend the "life expectancy" of ISS to 2020 and turn it into a "space port" to prepare for research-expeditions between the planets./.