Harmony Module Arrived at Station in 2007
The 24-foot hub, delivered by Shuttle Discovery during STS-120, doubled the station's internal volume and serves as a connector for European and Japanese labs.
By Victoria Singh ·
On October 23, 2007, Space Shuttle Discovery launched to deliver the Harmony module to the International Space Station. The mission, designated STS-120, transported the 24-foot long and 14-foot wide utility hub to orbit. At the time, this delivery marked a major expansion for the space outpost.
Before Harmony was installed, the station was roughly the size of a three-bedroom house. The addition of the module increased the complex to the scale of a five-bedroom house. Harmony serves as a connection point for the European Space Agency’s Columbus module and Japan’s Kibo laboratory. It also houses the sleeping quarters for American astronauts.
Upon arrival, astronauts initially attached the module to the Unity node. After the shuttle departed, the crew used the station’s robotic arm to move the shuttle docking port away from the Destiny module. This maneuver cleared the path for Harmony to be moved to its permanent position beside Destiny.
The module was originally named Node 2. It is the second hub built by NASA, following Unity, which is Node 1. Italy-based Thales Alenia Space constructed the unit for NASA. The structure contains five common berthing mechanisms that allow other modules to connect. A public contest run by NASA selected the name Harmony.
The delivery ended a gap in station construction. The previous new room added was Russia’s Pirs docking module in 2001, which has since been removed. Harmony provided the necessary infrastructure for future growth. It links the station’s components and allows visiting cargo ships to dock.
Inside the module, eight payload racks are installed. Four of these racks hold avionics systems. The remaining four are used for storage or as crew living space. A port on the roof of the module allows visiting vehicles to park there. The module remains a central part of the station’s layout.
The STS-120 flight lasted approximately two weeks. During this time, the crew completed the installation and repositioning of the hub. Harmony now sits at the forward port of NASA’s Destiny laboratory. It connects the starboard side to Columbus and the port side to Kibo.
Source: Space.com
