WASHINGTON — The following is a statement by NASA Administrator Michael Griffin after today’s successful docking of the European Space Agency’s Jules Verne Automated Transfer Vehicle to the International Space Station at 10:45 a.m. EDT Thursday.
“I am incredibly proud of and pleased for our European partners with this demonstration of a successful automated docking of the ATV cargo vehicle with the ISS. Only Russia has previously achieved a successful automated docking in space. This accomplishment showcases yet again the progress which has been made by the international partnership in bringing this incredible program to fruition. Together with the arrival of the Columbus Module at the ISS earlier this year, the success of the ATV marks the arrival of Europe as a full-fledged space power. I applaud their achievement.”
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