Tonight at 11:24pm CST a TMA-22 Soyuz vehicle containing the three members of Expedition 29/30 crew successfully docked with the ISS, 248 miles above the south Pacific.

It was the first docking of a manned vehicle to the ISS since the end of the shuttle program.

Aboard the Soyuz were cosmonauts Anton Shkaplerov, Anatoly Ivanishin and NASA astronaut Dan Burbank. The Expedition 29/30 crew will stay aboard the ISS for 122 days before undocking and returning to Earth. This will also allow the previous expedition crew to head back to Earth via TMA-02 on November 21.

After various seal and latch checks, the Expedition 29/30 crew will pass through the hatch at approximately 1:30am CST on Wednesday, November 16.

Image via NASA TV/Ustream