Pontes said in his first communication Saturday night that he had completed the first parts of two scientific experiments - one involving the weightless behavior of bean seeds, and another examining how microgravity affects glow worms. In all, he will conduct eight experiments and will study Brazil from space before returning to Earth on April 9 with Expedition 12 members Bill McArthur and Valery Tokarev. During the mission,

Commander Vinogradov, flight engineer Williams and Pontes enjoyed a flawless launch early Friday morning, Moscow Time, and a perfect computer-controlled docking with the orbiting facility. Their Soyuz TMA-8 spacecraft maneuvered to its docking site at the Russian Zarya module at 10:19 p.m. Central Time - exactly on schedule - flying above China near the Russian Kazakh and Mongolian borders.

"It's right on the money," one member of the NASA ground team could be heard to say. His Russian counterpart added: "Right in the crosshairs." Soyuz parked next to the automated Russian Progress 20 spacecraft, which brought supplies to the station last Dec. 23.

After one hour and 40 minutes of security the spacecraft to the module, Vinogradov opened the hatch at 11:59 Central Time and, in a break with tradition, allowed Pontes - who smiled and carried the Brazilian flag - to enter the ISS first, joining E12 commander McArthur and flight engineer Tokarev.

The colleagues greeted one another with handshakes and hugs - but not salt and bread, in another tradition break. "That tradition was always respected in the era of the (Russian) Mir station, but has gradually been lost with ISS," a ground controller said. Russian, American and Brazilian space officials viewed the docking from the Russian Mission Control Center in Korolev, outside Moscow, and congratulated the crews after hatch opening.

The new crew spent Saturday transferring cargo from the Soyuz to the station, deactivating the spacecraft's systems and stowing their launch and entry suits. Pontes will move his custom-made seatliner into the older Soyuz TMA-7 spacecraft that will bring him home, before beginning several experiments.

The two station crews will continue handover activities throughout the week, including robotics training with the station arm and detailed briefings on scientific experiments. Vinogradov and Williams will remain on board the station until September.

All five astronauts and cosmonauts will participate in a news conference at 9:55 a.m. Central Time Monday, and NASA TV will broadcast the event live.

On Monday night, McArthur and Williams will sleep in the Quest airlock, isolated from Tokarev, Vinogradov and Pontes, to test a new procedure NASA scientists think could reduce the preparation time for spacewalks. The new procedure requires spacewalkers to stay in the airlock overnight at a lower air pressure to help purge nitrogen from their bodies, thereby preventing decompression sickness. McArthur and Williams will begin their airlock stay at about 5:20 p.m. Central Time Monday and finish at 2:30 a.m. Tuesday.

Following the departure of McArthur, Williams and Pontes, Vinogradov and Williams will begin their regular daily duties and prepare for the arrival of Germany's Thomas Reiter, who is scheduled to fly aboard NASA's shuttle Discovery in July - at the earliest.

Reiter will be the first European on board the ISS for an extended stay, and his addition will bring the permanent crew level to three for the first time since the shuttle Columbia disaster in 2003.

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