Crewmembers aboard the space shuttle Discovery have attached a huge Italian-built storage module to the international space station.
Using a robotic arm Friday, the astronauts lifted the module, nicknamed Leonardo, off the shuttle's payload bay and attached it to the station.
Leonardo is carrying more than 3,300 kilograms of much-needed supplies for the space station. These include a large incubator for studying plant growth in space and an oxygen generator that will be able to support up to six crewmembers on the space station.
Discovery's mission now turns to shuttle inspections and preparations for the first of at least two space walks on Saturday.
There is a crew of three aboard the international space station for the first time in three years. Discovery brought a German astronaut, Thomas Reiter, who will stay behind to live at the station for the next six months.
Some information for this report was provided by AFP and AP.