Brazil’s first astronaut docked at the International Space Station. Marcos Pontes and his American and Russian crewmates arrived in their Soyuz spacecraft, while in Brazil, Pontes’ family and countrymen were overcome with pride. Sky.com reports:
Two days after blasting off from earth, Pontes was pictured smiling and holding his national flag. The 43-year-old Air Force pilot has also taken a Brazilian football shirt into space, hoping it will bring his team luck for the World Cup.
Image above: Expedition 12 and Expedition 13 crewmembers greet each other inside the Destiny Laboratory. From left are Expedition 13 Commander Pavel Vinogradov, Brazilian astronaut Marcos Pontes, Expedition 12 Commander Bill McArthur, Expedition 13 Flight Engineer Jeff Williams and Expedition 12 Flight Engineer Valery Tokarev. Photo Credit: NASA TV