The risk of a heart attack is on your plate

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By Jonathan Landsman

Do you want to dramatically change the course of your life? I'm talking about avoiding a massive heart attack, ineffective stent procedures or (painful) bypass surgeries. Believe it or not, you CAN unclog arteries, lower blood pressure and improve your circulation by simply eating a better diet.

It's time to update medical wisdom

In 1967, the first coronary bypass surgery was performed and everybody thought it was a "miracle" in medicine. Of course, 10 year later, the (less invasive) angioplasty was created but couldn't prevent a heart attack. By 1987, the use of stents lowered the demand for bypass surgery with NO reduction in the risk of a heart attack.

Modern medicine doesn't get it! You can NOT fix a biochemical problem - like heart disease with a mechanical (surgical) solution. By 1990, Dr. Dean Ornish, a world-renowned internist popularized the fact that anyone can reverse coronary heart disease with simple changes to diet, exercise and stress management habits. Doctors must upgrade their thinking process. Read more…

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AHS graduate wins science award

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By: Ariana Diaz | adiaz@oanow.com Published: May 25, 2012 Updated: May 25, 2012 - 9:49 PM

Bess Ward said she had no idea she was nominated for a prestigious Procter & Gamble honor but was thrilled when she found out.

Ward, a 1972 Auburn High School graduate, was named the 2012 Procter & Gamble laureate in applied and environmental microbiology. She has been chair of the Department of Geosciences at Princeton University for six years. She has focused much of her research on the biogeochemistry of nitrogen in marine environments.

The award recognizes distinguished achievement in research and development in her field.

Shes made many important discoveries on how the nitrogen cycle of the ocean works and has made fundamental contributions, said Procter & Gamble nominator Douglas Capone, chair of the Department of Biological Sciences at the University of Southern California.

Capone said he and Ward met more than 30 years ago at one of the American Society of Limnology and Oceanography meetings for research and discussion. He said he nominated Ward because he thinks highly of her research and believes she deserves it.

Ward received her undergraduate degree in zoology at Michigan State University and Ph.D. in oceanography at the University of Washington. She held postdoctoral and research scientist positions at Scripps Institution of Oceanography in La Jolla, Calif. Ward served as assistant professor for the department of ocean sciences at the University of California for six years before becoming department chair.

She really is a pioneer, Capone said Shes brought many new techniques.

As fellow of the American Academy of Microbiology, Ward has also received the Fellowship in the American Geophysical Union and the American Academy of Arts and Science. In 1997, she was the first woman and youngest person to receive the G. Evelyn Hutchinson Medal from the American Society of Limnology and Oceanography.

Ward will be honored by Procter & Gamble on June 18 at the American Society for Microbiology general meeting in San Francisco. There, she will give the lecture: Biogeochemical Cycling: Past, Present and Future.

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AHS graduate wins science award

DNA expert: Needle has Clemens' cells on it

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DNA testing that showed traces of Roger Clemens' cells on a collection of steroid-laced medical waste was reviewed in court on Friday in the former pitcher's perjury trial in Washington, D.C. Included in the tested items was a needle used for injections that likely contained Clemens' genetic material. Government witness Alan Keel, a veteran DNA analyst from a private lab in California who performed the tests, took the stand on Friday, the New York Daily News reported. Keel spent the day on the witness stand describing his forensic examination of a needle, tissues, blood-stained gauze and cotton balls that McNamee said he saved in 2001. Keel said he found DNA of Clemens and McNamee on the items. "I would expect to find this profile unique to only one person that has ever lived on the planet," Keel said. The items were turned over to the federal government by Clemens' former trainer Brian McNamee in 2008. Keel said there was only a 1 in 173 trillion chance that cotton balls apparently stained with Clemens' blood could possibly belong to another randomly selected Caucasian American. Keel said a needle he tested was comparable to one Clemens submitted to federal agents in 2008. According to Keel, the chances the needle had of being a different match from Clemens was just 1 in 449. Because the sample contained only six to 12 cells, Keel said there is almost no way it could be faked, countering what Clemens' lawyers have been arguing. "In my opinion, it would be virtually impossible for someone to have left only the trace amount of material by design," Keel said. The medical waste came from a Miller Lite beer can that McNamee used to store as evidence in 2001.

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DNA expert: Needle has Clemens' cells on it

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Anatomy of a turnaround; Vector starts new era with pool groundbreaking

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As the walls of the old Easter Seals pool came down last Wednesday, Bill Ruff thought back to the questions that surrounded Vector Rehabilitation's decision to buy a leaky pool 19 months ago.

Are you crazy?' That's what some people asked me. I looked them straight in the eye and said, Right. I'm nuts. What's your point?

Today, the chief executive officer of the renamed Vector Physical Therapy and Aquatic Center and the board of directors he works with are looking more like visionaries. The state-of-the art heated therapy pool is the centerpiece of an estimated $2.6 million overhaul of 3289 Edgewood Road in Eureka. The former owner, Easter Seals of Northern California, cited a flow of red ink and, despite community uproar, shuttered the pool and adult daycare facility in April 2010.

Heated to 92 degrees Fahrenheit, the new 52-foot by 18-foot pool will open to the public late fall. Ruff expects to add four to eight full-time equivalent jobs -- half of them with benefits. His payroll will jump 30 to 40 percent, and his Medicare reimbursement will jump 10 percent by adding anywhere from 400 to 800 new clients a year. And that's just for starters.

The Humboldt Del Norte Medical Society wrote a letter in support of the project and Humboldt State kinesiology professor Justus Ortega is eager to start research projects to compare pool and land therapy benefits for walking and fall prevention.

Heated pool therapy is non-weight-bearing,

This is going to put us at a level I don't think any of us comprehended when we started, Ruff said. We'll have community education classes, top of the line physical therapy, a partnership with HSU to train students and produce research, and a place special needs students from local schools can use.

They are so community-oriented, Ortega said, When you say, 'Hey, can we do this? Their first answer is yes. They say they'll find a way to make it happen. They're solution-oriented.

About 100 former student and community users have been looking for a solution since the pool closed.

When are you going to get that pool open is all I hear from doctors I visit and people who call, Ruff said. People are still asking if I'm crazy, but now that we've broken ground and are gearing up for active programs, it's becoming reality for 90 percent of the people.

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Anatomy of a turnaround; Vector starts new era with pool groundbreaking

College Graduates Getting Paid To Travel The World – Video

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25-05-2012 06:52 Check Us Out - We are Making A Living... Living in order to Make A Living... Giving! With our program College students and graduates are getting paid to travel the world and helping communities in 3rd world countries building bottle schools in places like Guatemala, Ecuador and others. Interact with Me Facebook - Twitter -

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College Graduates Getting Paid To Travel The World - Video

The world's cheapest lager is 29p a pint….but you'll have to travel 3,000 miles to from Britain to sup on it

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By Ian Garland

PUBLISHED: 03:35 EST, 24 May 2012 | UPDATED: 09:28 EST, 24 May 2012

A pint in Tajikistan is ten times cheaper than the average beer in Britain

It's the holy grail for beer lovers on a budget.

And researchers have found the world's cheapest pint, costing a mouthwatering 29p.

But there's a catch - it's only available in the tiny mountainous, landlocked former Soviet republic of Tajikistan, 3,000 miles away from Britain.

Researchers at pintprice.com have compiled a list of the worlds' cheapest - and most expensive - pints.

And they've discovered the most cost-effective tipple is ten times cheaper than the average pint in Britain, which now costs 2.90.

Panama, in Central America, follows hot on the heels of Tajikistan with an average cost of 31p a pint.

Communist North Korea also makes the shortlist, with an average of 38p a pint.

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The world's cheapest lager is 29p a pint....but you'll have to travel 3,000 miles to from Britain to sup on it

Is The Computer 'Cloud' Compromising You Privacy?

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Coroner: Gunman In Indiana Standoff From Texas

Govt Witness Links Medical Waste To Clemens DNA

Astronauts Enter World's 1st Private Supply Ship

Travis/Bastrop Counties Needs Election Day Workers

Families May Have To Pay More To Fly Together

Some Personal Watercraft Banned On Lake Austin This Weekend

APD Brings Back, Adds To Holiday DWI/BWI Initiative

Is The Computer 'Cloud' Compromising You Privacy?

City To Help Displaced Apartment Complex Residents

Racially Charged Graffiti Found On Hays ISD Teacher's Door

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Is The Computer 'Cloud' Compromising You Privacy?

Muslims can achieve global recognition through honesty and integrity, says American scholar

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In this highly materialistic world, spirituality could play an important role in steering the Muslim faithful through the right path following the teachings of God in all walks of their lives, says Dr. Eric Winkel, a senior American researcher at the International Institute of Advanced Islamic Studies (IAIS) in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. "If we can keep our integrity and honesty, we can still achieve world recognition," Winkel, who embraced Islam, told Muslims. Winkel emphasized the need to balance between spirituality and material life. "We have to achieve some kind of a balance between spirituality and material life. We have to restore this balance to be strong. We have to be always in the middle that is the beauty of Islam," he told Arab News. He stressed the significance of spirituality. "Scholars of Islam had given great importance to spirituality. They tried to be closer to God by giving less importance to materialism. Through spirituality people try to improve their lives in accordance with the teachings of Islam. Sufis will be very cautious while doing things. They think about every aspect of their lives whether it is correct or acceptable according to Islamic teachings and values," he explained. Winkel called upon Muslims to uphold their great Islamic values. "These values are our gift to the world. We have to uphold those values and traditions, no matter how difficult it is. Many people were attracted to Islam as a result of the trustworthiness and good qualities of Muslim traders." He called upon non- Muslims including Americans and Europeans to understand the divine teachings and cultural values of Islam, before taking a stand. He believes that Islamic economics can solve the present global economic crises through its interest-free finance system. The global economic system, based on interest has been found to be a disaster. It promotes a kind of consumerism that is harmful to not only humans but also environment. People everywhere have realized that there is a serious problem. We need a new system to address these problems. French Embassy officials in Kuala Lumpur came to our institute and said they want to learn more about the Islamic economic system. All Abrahamic religions including Judaism and Christianity are against riba or interest." Winkel converted to Islam in 1986. He was in South Carolina at that time. He was impressed by the unity and brotherhood among Muslims as he saw them helping one another. He recalls that Ahmed Numeri, who was a Ph.D student in the North Carolina University was one of the persons who inspired him to embrace Islam. He has studied Arabic to learn the Sunnah of the Prophet (peace be upon him) and practice it in his life. The American scholar denounced the smear campaigns against Islam and Muslims, especially in the Western world. In the 1970s and 1980s Westerners were not talking about Islam but about Socialism and Communism. Somewhere in 1980s some people in the far right began thinking we need an enemy after the fall of Communism and chose Islam as their enemy No. 1. because they found Muslims could not be changed according to their whims and fancies. This is a very deliberate attempt and it began from 1980s onward." Winkel however is very optimistic about the prospects of spreading the message of Islam in the West, especially in the United States but pointed out that it should be done in a proper way. "Many people had embraced Islam after 9/11 incidents in the US, which encouraged many Americans to read about Islam and its reality. They found Islam quite different from what the media projected. This is the beauty and specialty of Islam. Despite these massive smear campaigns across the world, people are coming forward to learn and embrace Islam. Americans are very open-minded. If we are able to propagate the message of Islam in a nice manner they will accept it." Winkel joined IAIS as a principal research fellow in May 2010. After earning his Ph.D. in Government and International Studies from the University of South Carolina, he worked with IIIT in Herndon, Virginia and then at the International Islamic University Malaysia. His current projects focus on bridging this world of the new sciences to civilizational renewal-with projects on Islamic Affinities with New Science, and Finding Islam in Math. His publications include: Mysteries of Purity and Islam and the Living Law (Oxford University Press, 1997) and his novel Damascus Steel.

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Muslims can achieve global recognition through honesty and integrity, says American scholar

International Space Station (ISS) Grapples SpaceX Dragon Capsule (5/25/2012, May 25th) HD – Video

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25-05-2012 10:27 HD video of the successful grapple of the SpaceX Dragon capsule by the International Space Station (ISS). Capture took place shortly after 11am EST on May 25th, 2012 (5/25/2012). SpaceX is the first private organization to successfully launch and connect a vehicle to the International Space Station. HD video captured from the live webcast of the event from NASA TV.

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International Space Station (ISS) Grapples SpaceX Dragon Capsule (5/25/2012, May 25th) HD - Video

Space crew enters Dragon capsule

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Space station nabs 'Dragon by the tail'

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

(CNN) -- "Like the smell of a brand-new car" were the words of International Space Station astronaut Don Pettit on Saturday after he carefully opened the hatch and entered the Dragon capsule for his first glimpse inside.

Dragon connected with the station Friday, making history as the first private capsule to reach the orbiting spacecraft.

Pettit opened the hatch at 5:53 a.m. ET with Russian cosmonaut and station commander Oleg Kononenko by his side. The two men, wearing T-shirts, khaki shorts, goggles and masks gave the thumbs up to the camera after they floated inside.

The initial inspection went smoothly and ahead of schedule and the interior looked good, according to SpaceX, the private company that built and operates the Dragon.

Pettit later told reporters in a briefing from space that the interior is roomier than the Russian Soyuz capsule that carried him to the space station. He said "it looks like it carries about as much cargo as I could put in my pickup truck."

Ashes of 'Star Trek' actor on private rocket

Dragon delivered more than 1,000 pounds of cargo, including food, clothing, computer equipment and supplies for science experiments.

After the crew unloads that cargo, they will reload the capsule with experiments and cargo for its return trip to Earth. Dragon is scheduled to splash into the Pacific Ocean several hundred miles west of California on May 31, according to NASA.

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Space crew enters Dragon capsule

Space station crew opens door to commercial spaceship

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Astronauts aboard the International Space Station opened the door on the lab's first commercial resupply craft Saturday, accessing more than 1,000 pounds of food, clothing and experiments stowed inside.

Astronauts Don Pettit, Andre Kuipers and Joe Acaba speak to reporters from inside the Dragon spacecraft. Credit: NASA TV/Spaceflight Now But one of the most vital functions of the privately-owned cargo ship - its ability to safely return space station equipment to Earth - is yet to be demonstrated.

The space station's Expedition 31 crew opened Dragon's hatch Saturday at 5:53 a.m. EDT (0953 GMT), and the astronauts plan to spend 25 hours removing the craft's supply cache and installing equipment tagged for shipment back to Earth.

"I spent quite a bit of time poking around in here this morning just looking at the engineering and the layout, and I'm very pleased," said Don Pettit, a NASA flight engineer living aboard the space station. "It looks like it carries about as much cargo as I could put in my pickup truck."

Pettit was at the controls of the station's robotic arm Friday when it grappled Dragon after a cautious laser-guided rendezvous with the outpost.

Most of the crew's cargo transfer duties will not begin until Monday, according to Holly Ridings, NASA's lead space station flight director for the Dragon mission.

"We are going to give our crew some time off," Ridings said. "They've been working very hard over the last couple of days, so we're going to give them some time off over the weekend. Then Monday and Tuesday are very big cargo days on the space station."

Pettit, Andre Kuipers, and Joe Acaba will rotate time removing and adding cargo in the Dragon spacecraft.

None of Dragon's payloads are deemed essential for the space station by NASA officials. The ongoing mission is a test flight to prove the Dragon spacecraft is ready for regular cargo deliveries to the complex, which could begin as soon as September.

Engineers packed the commercial spaceship with 1,146 pounds of equipment and supplies before Dragon's launch, taking advantage of the test mission to supplement cargo dispatched to the space station on other flights.

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Space station crew opens door to commercial spaceship

Station astronauts enjoy 'new car smell' of SpaceX cargo craft

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Space station astronauts opened up the newly arrived SpaceX cargo ship early Saturday, kicking off a busy few days of work to unload the commercial spacecraft.

Running well ahead of schedule,the International Space Station's crew opened hatches between the Harmony module and the newly arrived SpaceX Dragon cargo ship early Saturday to kick off a busy few days of work to unload about a half ton of supplies and equipment.

Wearing goggles and filter masks to protect against any floating contaminants that might be present -- a routine precaution when visiting cargo craft arrive -- flight engineer Donald Pettit and Expedition 31 commander Oleg Kononenko cracked open the hatch and floated inside at 5:53 a.m. EDT (GMT-4).

Space station flight engineer Donald Pettit, left, and Expedition 31 commander Oleg Kononenko, flashing a thumbs up, opened the hatch and floated into the SpaceX Dragon cargo craft for the first time early Saturday.

The Dragon cargo ship, making the second of two planned test flights, arrived at the space station Friday, four days after launch from Cape Canaveral. It is the first U.S. spacecraft to visit the International Space Station since the shuttle was retired last summer and the first commercially developed vehicle to attempt a linkup with the orbital lab complex.

"There was no sign of any kind of FOD (foreign object debris) floating around in the atmosphere inside," Pettit radioed mission control in Houston a few minutes after completing an initial inspection. "It kind of reminds me of the cargo capability that I could put in the back of my pickup truck. And the smell inside smells like a brand new car."

SpaceX holds a $1.6 billion contract to launch at least 12 Dragon missions to the space station to deliver some 44,000 pounds of equipment and supplies. Another company, Orbital Sciences, holds a $1.9 billion contract for eight missions using that company's Cygnus spacecraft, scheduled for its first test flight later this year.

For its space station test flight, the Dragon carried a relatively light load of lower-priority items, including 674 pounds of food and crew provisions; 46 pounds of science hardware and equipment; 271 pounds of cargo bags needed for future flights; and 22 pounds of computer equipment. For routine space station delivery missions, the spacecraft will be able to carry six-and-a-half tons of pressurized and unpressurized cargo.

The station fliers will have less than a week to unload the Dragon before the always changing angle between the sun and the space station's orbit results in higher-than-allowable temperatures. The Dragon spacecraft will be detached from the station May 31.

Unlike Russian, Japanese, and European Space Agency cargo craft, the SpaceX Dragon is equipped with a heat shield and parachutes for a splashdown in the Pacific Ocean just off the coast of California. Since the shuttle's retirement, NASA has not had a way to get experiment samples, broken equipment, and other gear back to Earth. The Dragon spacecraft will restore that lost capability.

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Station astronauts enjoy 'new car smell' of SpaceX cargo craft

'New car smell' as space station crew enters Dragon capsule

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Space station nabs 'Dragon by the tail'

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

(CNN) -- "Like the smell of a brand-new car" were the words of International Space Station astronaut Don Pettit on Saturday after he carefully opened the hatch and entered the Dragon capsule for his first glimpse inside.

Dragon connected with the station Friday, making history as the first private capsule to reach the orbiting spacecraft.

Pettit opened the hatch at 5:53 a.m. ET with Russian cosmonaut and station commander Oleg Kononenko by his side. The two men, wearing T-shirts, khaki shorts, goggles and masks gave the thumbs up to the camera after they floated inside.

The initial inspection went smoothly and ahead of schedule and the interior looked good, according to SpaceX, the private company that built and operates the Dragon.

Pettit later told reporters in a briefing from space that the interior is roomier than the Russian Soyuz capsule that carried him to the space station. He said "it looks like it carries about as much cargo as I could put in my pickup truck."

Ashes of 'Star Trek' actor on private rocket

Dragon delivered more than 1,000 pounds of cargo, including food, clothing, computer equipment and supplies for science experiments.

After the crew unloads that cargo, they will reload the capsule with experiments and cargo for its return trip to Earth. Dragon is scheduled to splash into the Pacific Ocean several hundred miles west of California on May 31, according to NASA.

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'New car smell' as space station crew enters Dragon capsule

SpaceX: Space Station crew likes what it sees in new transport vehicle

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The crew of the International Space Station got its first look at the inside of its newest visitor SpaceX's Dragon cargo ship Saturday morning. For the next several years it'll be carrying cargo and astronauts to the space station.

The crew of the International Space Station got its first look at the inside of its newest visitor Space Exploration Technologies Corporation's Dragon cargo ship Saturday morning and pronounced it a keeper.

The craft made aerospace history Friday by becoming the first commercially built and operated spacecraft to rendezvous and dock with another spacecraft on orbit.

I spent quite a bit of time poking around in here this morning looking at the engineering and the layout, and I'm very pleased, observes Don Petitt, a space station flight engineer and the crew member who guided the station's robotic arm as it grappled the craft for docking Friday morning.

RECOMMENDED:Beyond SpaceX: Five companies seeking to change space travel

SpaceX developed the Dragon to carry cargo and eventually crew, and based on his initial inspection of the craft's interior, riding in a human-rated Dragon is not going to be an issue, he said.

The mission began with a flawless launch May 22 from a pad at the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. The crew opened the hatch to the cargo craft at 5:53 Eastern Daylight Time Saturday.

This mission, which is slated to end with Dragon's return to Earth May 31, is a demonstration flight. It consists of a final set of tests the craft and its controllers must pass in order to begin delivering on a $1.6 billion contract SpaceX has with NASA to carry cargo to and from the station between now and 2015.

Speaking from within what would be the Dragon's relatively spacious cabin as a capsule for humans, Dr. Petitt acknowledged that in the midst of the grab-and-dock process Friday, he and his colleagues, Andre Kuipers, a European Space Agency crew member, and NASA's Joe Acaba didn't have much time to contemplate the mission's place in history.

With an additional 24 hours to think about it, however, Petitt likened the event to the Golden Spike that symbolized the final link joining eastbound and westbound segments of the first transcontinental railroad line. The spike was driven into that last wooden rail tie on May 10, 1869.

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SpaceX: Space Station crew likes what it sees in new transport vehicle

SpaceX Dragon ship reaches International Space Station in historic flight

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WASHINGTON SpaceX on Friday became the first commercial outfit to dock its own cargo capsule at the International Space Station, marking what experts have hailed as a new era for private spaceflight.

The California-based SpaceX, owned by Internet entrepreneur Elon Musk, has now reached the climax of its test mission to become the first privately owned craft to reach the space station, restoring U.S. access to the space outpost.

With no humans on board, the capsule is delivering about a half ton of supplies and science experiments for the ISS, and aims to return a slightly larger load of gear to Earth on May 31.

It looks like we got us a Dragon by the tail, said U.S. astronaut Don Pettit, who was operating the Canadian-built robotic arm from the space station as it reached out and hooked on to the unmanned SpaceX capsule at 9:56 am (1356 GMT).

The two spacecraft were traveling about 250 miles (402 kilometers) above northwest Australia at the time of the grab, NASA said.

AP Photo

This image provided by NASA-TV shows the SpaceX Dragon commercial cargo craft after Dragon was grappled by the Canadarm2 robotic arm and connected to the International Space Station, Friday, May 25, 2012.

Dragon captured by the International Space Station! Just awesome, wrote SpaceX chief executive Musk on Twitter.

Next, a formal berthing brought the capsule closer to latch on at the stations Harmony module at 12:02 pm (1602 GMT), NASA said.

The Dragon is toting 521 kilograms (1,148 pounds) of goodies for the space lab, including food, supplies, computers, utilities and science experiments. It plans to return a 660-kilogram (1,455-pound) load to Earth.

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SpaceX Dragon ship reaches International Space Station in historic flight

R.I. board that OK'd Schilling loan in turmoil

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1:00 AM Heads are rolling over the financial troubles of the former Red Sox pitcher's video game company.

The Associated Press

PROVIDENCE, R.I. - Rhode Island's economic development agency was in disarray Friday as the state reeled from the financial troubles at former Red Sox pitcher Curt Schilling's video game company and questions mounted over whether the state exercised proper oversight of a $75 million loan guarantee.

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Former Boston Red Sox pitcher Curt Schilling leaves a meeting with the R.I. economic development agency thats in hot water over backing a $75 million loan to his company in 2010.

The Associated Press

Gov. Lincoln Chafee said he was seeking the resignation of Economic Development Corp. board members who approved the state's backing of the loan in 2010, but the fate of some of them wasn't clear.

Chafee already accepted the resignation of EDC Executive Director Keith Stokes, a vigorous backer of the guarantee, and board Vice Chairwoman Helena Foulkes, who wasn't on the board in 2010 but with whom he said he has had "differences of opinion."

Chafee spokeswoman Christine Hunsinger said Friday that she couldn't say for sure who was serving on the board. EDC spokeswoman Judy Chong said the same.

Schilling's 38 Studios laid off its entire staff Thursday after missing its last payroll and being more than two weeks late on a $1.1 million payment to the EDC. The company was lured to Rhode Island from Massachusetts in 2010 after the EDC board agreed to the loan guarantee, which officials said would bring hundreds of jobs and millions of dollars in tax revenue.

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NASA Administrator Congratulates ISS Crew on SpaceX Milestone – Video

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25-05-2012 17:04 NASA Administrator Charles Bolden phones Expedition 31 crew members Don Pettit, Joe Acaba and Andre Kuipers aboard the International Space Station following their successful grappling and berthing to the orbiting laboratory of SpaceX's uncrewed Dragon capsule on May 25, 2012. Dragon is the first commercial spacecraft to travel to the ISS.

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NASA Administrator Congratulates ISS Crew on SpaceX Milestone - Video

NASA astronauts open SpaceX capsule hatch and begin unloading cargo

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Less than 24 hours after a historic docking, astronauts aboard the International Space Station clambered into SpaceX's unmanned Dragon spacecraft and began unloading supplies that were packed inside.

Wearing oxygen masks as a precaution, the astronauts opened the hatch, slid the door open, and took delivery of the 1,014 pounds of food, water and clothing aboard Dragon.

"Like the smell of a brand new car," said NASA astronaut Don Pettit, after going inside.

Live coverage of the hatch opening, which included some of the first video footage from inside the cone-shaped Dragon, started Saturday shortly before 3 a.m PDT on the Hawthorne company's website and NASA TV.

Delivering cargo wasn't SpaceX's key mission -- the space station is well-provisioned. The main purpose was to demonstrate that the Dragon space capsule could rendezvous with the $100-billion orbiting outpost and link up with the space station's onboard computers.

Those goals were achieved when the Dragon docked with the space station at 9:02 a.m. PDT on Friday. It marked the first time a privately built and operated space capsule had done so.

Not only was it a milestone for SpaceX, it could also indicate a potential seismic shift for U.S. spaceflight, which for more than half a century has been the province of governments and large, entrenched aerospace firms.

SpaceX, offically named Space Exploration Technologies Corp., built its Dragon capsule and the Falcon 9 rocket that lifted it into orbit on its own. By contrast, the overall design of NASA's previous spacecraft vehicles and their missions were tightly controlled by the government and contracted to aerospace giants.

SpaceX, with about 1,800 employees, has received nearly $400 million in seed money from NASA and has a $1.6-billion contract to haul cargo in 12 flights to the space station for the agency.

Now that the U.S. fleet of space shuttles has been retired, NASA's plan is to outsource space station missions to privately funded companies. If NASA deems the current test mission successful, SpaceX will begin fulfilling the cargo-carrying contract later this year.

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NASA astronauts open SpaceX capsule hatch and begin unloading cargo