Harmony Module: 2007 Delivery Expanded Station Living Space

Space shuttle Discovery launched on October 23, 2007, carrying the Harmony module to the International Space Station. The spacecraft arrived as part of the STS-120 mission. This flight marked the next major step in expanding the orbiting outpost.

Harmony measures 14 feet wide and 24 feet long. That length is comparable to a minibus. The module serves as a utility hub for the station. It connects the European Space Agency's Columbus module and Japan's Kibo laboratory. It also houses the sleeping quarters for American astronauts.

The installation changed the physical scale of the station. Before Harmony arrived, the complex was roughly the size of a three-bedroom house. After the crew installed the new module, the volume expanded to match a five-bedroom house. This increase provided more room for operations and living.

Astronauts initially attached Harmony to the Unity node as a temporary measure. After the shuttle departed, the crew used the station's robotic arm to move the shuttle docking port on the Destiny module. That action cleared the path for Harmony to move to its permanent position beside Destiny. The module then served as the central link for other sections of the station.

The delivery ended a six-year gap in new construction. Russia's Pirs docking module was the last new room added before this flight. That module attached in 2001 and has since been discarded. Harmony provided a connecting hub that allowed future modules to attach to the station.

Italy-based Thales Alenia Space built Harmony for NASA. It was the second NASA-led hub module, following Unity. The module contains five common berthing mechanisms. These ports allow other station modules to connect. Inside, the module holds eight payload racks. Four racks support avionics, while the other four store equipment or serve as crew quarters. NASA selected the name Harmony through a public naming contest.

The module remains a key structural element of the station. It links the European Columbus lab on the starboard side and the Japanese Kibo lab on the port side. Visiting cargo ships have used some of its ports. A docking port on the roof allows additional vehicles to park there. The STS-120 flight lasted about two weeks before returning to Earth.