Last Updated Nov 24, 2014 1:00 AM EST

Five hours and 47 minutes after a sky-lighting launch from Kazakhstan, a Russian Soyuz ferry craft carrying a crew of three representing Russia, the United States and Italy, glided to a smooth docking at the International Space Station late Sunday, boosting the lab's crew back to six and setting the stage for a busy winter of research and spacewalk assembly work.

As the two spacecraft sailed 260 miles above the Pacific Ocean approaching the coast of South America, Soyuz TMA-15M commander Anton Shkaplerov, flanked on the left by European Space Agency flight engineer Samantha Cristoforetti and on the right by NASA astronaut Terry Virts, monitored an autonomous approach to the Earth-facing Rassvet module, moving in for docking at 9:48 p.m. EST.

After extensive leak checks to verify a tight seal, hatches were opened and space station commander Barry "Butch" Wilmore, Alexander Samokutyaev and Elena Serova welcomed their new crewmates aboard with hugs, handshakes and laughter.

Floating in the Zvezda command module a few moments later, the newly arrived crew took part in a traditional videoconference with mission managers, family and friends standing by at the launch site, smiling broadly and clearly enjoying the moment as they shared a meal prepared by Wilmore.

"Mr. Butch cooked us some lunch," Virts told his son. "We're having a lot of fun. Me, Sam and Anton are all having a great time. Everything goes good with tortillas!"

Cristoforetti, a fan of Douglas Adams' "Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy," was asked by a friend, "What is the meaning of life, the universe and everything?"

"The answer is 42," she laughed.

The Soyuz TMA-15M crew, in blue flight suits, chats with family and friends at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. From left to right: Soyuz TMA-15M commander Anton Shkaplerov, Elena Serova, Soyuz TMA-15M flight engineer Samantha Cristoforetti, station commander Barry "Butch" Wilmore, Soyuz TMA-15M flight engineer Terry Virts and Alexander Samokutyaev.

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Fresh crew arrives at space station