Watch the last 15 metres of Discovery's journey to Mir

Operating with an automatic steering system that was repaired just days ago, Discovery linked up with Mir 245 miles (400 kilometres) above the Earth.

Discovery blasted off on Tuesday night from Cape Canaveral in Florida, on Nasa's ninth and final shuttle hookup with the space station.

Discovery took off despite fears of delays

The shuttle will bring home Andrew Thomas, the last of seven American astronauts to live on the ageing space station.

Mr Thomas, who has been aboard Mir since January, had his bags packed and made a special request for his first meal upon his return to Earth - for lasagna and ice cream.

Computer problems

There had been fears the mission would be delayed after Mir suffered a computer failure at the weekend.

But the cosmonauts worked around the clock to resolve the problem.

Watch the launch of space shuttle Discovery

The computer broke down on Saturday, leaving the station adrift in orbit but in no immediate danger. It was replaced by the three-man crew on Sunday, but the new computer also shut down because of an electronic fault.

The computer controls Mir's automatic steering system, needed to keep the space station steady when the shuttle docks with it.

Watch how three years of collaboration between Russia and the US will conclude with this shuttle mission

It is expected that Discovery will bring Mr Thomas back to Earth on June 12.

The American mission is the last before the space station is taken out of service later this month and marks more than three years of collaboration between Russia and the US on board Mir.

International space station

Nasa officials say the assembly of a new space station to replace Mir will be delayed to the end of the year.

Cosmonauts worked round the clock to fix a computer fault

The first part of the International Space Station was to have been launched this month - but that has now been put back to November because Russia has fallen behind in building the space station's first module.

Financial constraints on the Russian space programme have been blamed for the delay.

Nasa says it expects the new station to be completed by January 2004, a month behind schedule.

The shuttle is using a new fuel tank built with a new light-weight aluminum lithium alloy for the first time on the mission.

While identical in appearance to the previous tanks, the lighter design will allow the shuttle to haul heavy parts of the planned International Space Station into orbit.

The shuttle's crew expressed no concerns about flying with the slimmed-down tank.

"We feel extremely confident in that tank's ability to do its job," Discovery's pilot Dom Gorie said.