KOROLYOV. March 28 (Interfax-AVN) - The crew of the Soyuz TMA-12M spacecraft opened the transfer hatches approximately two hours after its docking with the International Space Station (ISS), a spokesman for Russia's Mission Control Center, located in the town of Korolyov outside Moscow, told Interfax-AVN on Friday.
"The hatches have been opened. The Soyuz crewmembers have entered the ISS," he said.
The 39th/40th ISS Expedition, made up of Russia's Alexander Skvortsov and Oleg Artemyev, as well as NASA astronaut Steven Swanson, arrived at the station onboard the Soyuz TMA-12M spacecraft.
Russia's Mikhail Tyurin, U.S. astronaut Rick Masstracchio and Japan's Koichi Wakata are currently working onboard the orbiting outpost.
The Soyuz TMA-12M docked with the station's Poisk multirole module.