KOROLYOV, Russia - A Russian spacecraft delivered a Russian-American-Dutch crew to the international space station today, as U.S. and Russian space officials on the ground squabbled over the conditions for future missions.

The Soyuz TMA-4, working on autopilot, docked with the ISS three minutes ahead of schedule at 9:01 local time, approximately two days after blasting off on a rocket from Russia's Baikonur cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. Carrying three astronauts, it was the third Russian spacecraft to fill in for the U.S. space shuttle, which has been suspended since the Columbia disaster.

Less than 90 minutes after docking, the crew slowly floated into the hatch, shook hands with the current occupants and spoke with Russian, U.S. and European space officials at Russian Mission Control in Korolyov, outside Moscow via a television hookup.

"So far it was excellent, it was fantastic," said Dutch astronaut Andre Kuipers. "We are looking forward to starting the program."

Agency.