Live in Orbit: Leonardo On Station

Astronauts have connected the Italian-made moving van Leonardo, hauled into orbit by Endeavour, to the International Space Station's Harmony node.

Bolts fastened the cargo carrier into place about an hour ahead of schedule, setting the stage for Endeavour's seven astronauts and three Expedition 18 crew members to begin unloading more than seven tons of cargo.

Leonardo is the heaviest "Multi-Purpose Logistics Module" ever launched, with all 16 cargo racks inside filled for the first time.

The carrier was also modified for the mission so it could hold extra gear, taking advantage of a narrow gap surrounding the module's hatch. Adding slightly more weight, soft items like clothes were used to fill in gaps and ensure items didn't shift during flight.

Mission specialists Don Pettit and Shane Kimbrough, assisted by Sandy Magnus, led the transfer from the shuttle's payload bay using the station's Canadian-made robotic arm.

"Great job with the arm work on the MPLM," a ground controller said. "Nice hands, Dr. Pettit."

The astronauts were scheduled to open Leonardo's hatch and enter the module at about 8:30 p.m., but that timing could move up.

Pettit and company are now moving the station's robotic arm into position for the mission's first spacewalk on Tuesday.

Click "Read more..." to see a sequence of NASA TV images tracking the cargo carrier's move, and click on any of the images to enlarge them.