With a handshake and a hug, Canada's space program made history Friday as Canadian astronauts Julie Payette and Robert Thirsk met up high above the Earth.
Payette was welcomed by Thirsk to the orbiting International Space Station, after arriving at the ISS aboard the space shuttle Endeavour.
It marks the first time two Canadian astronauts have been in space together.
Payette will spend 16 days at the ISS, while Thirsk is there for a marathon six-month stint.
With the two crews joining together, there is now a record 13 astronauts aboard the orbiting outpost.
"Welcome," said station skipper Gennady Padalka as the seven shuttle astronauts floated aboard the ISS.
"Thirteen is a pretty big number, but it's going to be an outstanding visit for us," said shuttle commander Mark Polansky. "We are just thrilled to be here."
The president of the Canadian Space Agency, Steve MacLean, said this was momentous day for Canada in space.
"It is a moment in history," he told CTV News Channel from Montreal. "To see them both come on orbit at the same time, I found it quite inspiring."
MacLean said it's the first time that representatives from all partner nations have had astronauts at the ISS at the same time: Canada, Russia, Japan, the United States and Europe
MacLean added that Canada's space program has come a long way since Marc Garneau became the first Canadian in space 25 years ago. Payette was the Canadian to enter orbit, making her first trip on the space shuttle Discovery in 1999.
"I think it's a very important day for her, she's been training for this for a long time" said MacLean, adding that Payette will be operating both Canadarm 1 and 2 during her mission.
"We'll be using Canadian technology everyday throughout this entire mission," said MacLean.
During their 11-day visit aboard the ISS, the shuttle team will finish work on a Japanese research laboratory.
Endeavour launch problems
Before docking the shuttle performed a back flip so that the ISS team could photograph and inspect Endeavour's heat shield.
During the launch on Wednesday, cameras captured pieces of foam insulation falling away from the shuttle's external tank.
It won't be clear how severe the damage is until data from the launch and the crew's inspection are fully processed.
"The bottom line is we saw some stuff," said Mike Moses, chairman of the mission management team.
"Some of it doesn't concern us. Some of it you just can't really speculate on right now. But we have the tools in front of us and the processes in front of us to go clear this vehicle for entry."
The shuttle was hit at least two or three times by pieces of foam.
According to the NASA website, the Endeavour's seven-person crew used the shuttle's robotic arm and its related sensor system for the inspection.
Ever since the Columbia disaster six years ago, NASA has been vigilant about monitoring the foam on the exterior of the external fuel tank during take-off.
During the Columbia launch, a piece of foam broke off and hit the wing of the spacecraft, creating a small hole. Upon re-entry, the shuttle broke apart and all seven crew members were killed. The tragedy has been blamed primarily on the hole, which allowed hot gases to penetrate the wing upon re-entry, virtually melting it away.
While at the ISS, Endeavour astronauts will determine whether it is safe to attempt the trip home. If not, NASA will send another shuttle to retrieve the astronauts.
