The International Space Station accepted a fresh delivery of goods Wednesday morning.
A private cargo ship launched three days ago from Virginia arrived at the orbiting complex a little after 6:30 a.m. The station's commander, Steven Swanson, used a giant robot arm to grab onto the Cygnus capsule and its precious load as the craft zoomed 260 miles above northern Libya; the vast expanse of sand provided a backdrop.
"I think everybody's breathing again," Mission Control radioed. "We felt like we were up there with you."
It's the third space station shipment for Orbital Sciences Corp. NASA is paying Orbital Sciences as well as the SpaceX company to haul up supplies.
The Cygnus contains more than 3,000 pounds of food, science experiments and equipment, as well as outfits designed to resist bacteria and odor. The new gym clothes should keep the exercising astronauts smelling a lot better.
Swanson paid tribute to the late astronaut Janice Voss, who once worked for Orbital Sciences and made five space shuttle flights. The company named this newest Cygnus in her honor.
"We now have a seventh crew member," Swanson said. "Welcome aboard the ISS, Janice."
Mission Control also praised Voss, who died of cancer in 2012 at age 55. She never made it to the space station during her shuttle travels.
Once emptied, the capsule will be loaded with trash and set loose in mid-August for a fiery re-entry.
The Virginia-based Orbital Sciences made its first space station delivery last September.