Shuttle Discovery docked with the International Space Station at 5:19 p.m., completing a two-day chase that began with the shuttle's launch Sunday evening from Kennedy Space Center."Capture confirmed," shuttle commander Lee Archambault told mission controllers in Houston, as the orbiter and station crossed over western Australia.
"Welcome to the space station, Discovery, we're glad you're here," station skipper Mike Fincke said. "Glad we're here also," Archambault said.
After the initial contact, several more steps are required to make final connections between the spaceships and make sure their alignment is good.
It will be more than an hour before leaks checks and airlock pressurization are complete, and hatches separating the two vehicles is opened. The seven shuttle astronauts and three station residents will then hold a formal welcome ceremony.
This series of images from NASA TV shows (in reverse) how the docking unfolded. 
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