The crew on board the International Space Station have opened its hatch to welcome astronauts from the Russian Soyuz capsule.

A Russian cosmonaut, a Nasa astronaut and a Japanese engineer have joined the three men already on board.

The hatch opening came several hours after the Soyuz craft glided to a computer-orchestrated docking with the ISS on Tuesday.

The link-up took place on the 37th anniversary of the Apollo-Soyuz Test Programme docking in 1975 - the first joint space mission between the US and Russia.

Talking to officials back on Earth after entering the ISS, astronaut Suni Williams said: "It's great to be up here".