Shuttle Discovery Delivered Harmony Node to Expand Station in 2007
The 24-foot module, built by Thales Alenia Space, doubled the living volume of the International Space Station and created a hub for future international labs.
By Jonathan Hoffmann ·
Space shuttle Discovery lifted off on October 23, 2007, carrying the Harmony module to the International Space Station. The STS-120 mission marked a major step in the outpost's construction by delivering a utility hub that connected new research facilities to the core of the station.
Harmony measures 14 feet wide and 24 feet long, roughly the size of a minibus. Built by Italy-based Thales Alenia Space for NASA, the module was originally designated as Node 2. It followed Unity, or Node 1, as the second hub module led by the agency. The structure houses five common berthing mechanisms that serve as connection points for other components.
The installation changed the physical scale of the orbiting complex. Before the delivery, the station was comparable to a three-bedroom house. With Harmony in place, the volume expanded to the size of a five-bedroom house. This growth was necessary because the previous new addition had arrived in 2001, when Russia attached the Pirs docking module, which has since been discarded.
Upon arrival, astronauts temporarily attached Harmony to the Unity node. After the shuttle departed, the crew used the station's robotic arm to move the shuttle docking port at the Destiny module. This maneuver cleared the path for the permanent relocation of Harmony. The module was then berthed at the forward port of the Destiny laboratory.
From its new position, Harmony serves as a central link for international partners. It connects to the European Space Agency's Columbus module on the starboard side and Japan's Kibo laboratory on the port side. A docking port on the roof allows visiting vehicles to park there, while other ports have accommodated cargo ships. The module also contains eight payload racks, with four dedicated to avionics and four used for stowage or crew quarters.
NASA's astronaut sleeping quarters are located inside the module. The name Harmony was selected through a public naming contest organized by the agency. The roughly two-week STS-120 flight concluded with the module securely integrated into the station's architecture, providing the infrastructure for subsequent expansion.
