Shuttle docks at international space station

By Chris Baltimore and Irene Klotz

HOUSTON (Reuters) - Space shuttle Endeavour docked at the International Space Station on Sunday on an outer-space home improvement mission to add amenities like a new toilet and kitchen to the 10-year-old orbital outpost.

Shuttle commander Chris Ferguson nudged the shuttle into a docking berth on the station's Harmony module as the spacecraft soared 212 miles (340 km) above India. Soon after, astronauts floated weightlessly through a tunnel and into the welcoming arms of their colleagues aboard the $100 billion station.

"We understand that this house is in need of an extreme makeover and that you are the crew to do it," station commander Mike Fincke said. "Welcome to space."

The shuttle's two-day journey began with a moonlit launch on Friday from the Kennedy Space Centre in Florida.

The astronauts will turn the station into a five-bedroom, two-bath orbital house with dual kitchens, allowing it to accommodate six astronauts - double its current complement.

The Endeavour crew also plans four challenging spacewalks to work on the station's power system. A huge rotary joint needed to pivot solar panels to face the sun was shut down last year after NASA discovered it was contaminated with metal filings.

Astronauts plan to clean and lubricate the joint and install new bearings. They will also do preventive maintenance on another rotary joint to avoid future problems.

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