Harmony Node Doubles Station Volume
The 2007 delivery of the utility module expanded the International Space Station's interior from the size of a three-bedroom house to a five-bedroom house.
By Harper Laurent ·
The space shuttle Discovery lifted off on October 23, 2007, carrying the Harmony module to the International Space Station.
This delivery, part of the STS-120 mission, physically doubled the station's interior volume. Before the arrival of Harmony, the outpost was roughly the size of a three-bedroom house. After installation, the complex expanded to the scale of a five-bedroom house.
Harmony is a utility hub built by Italy-based Thales Alenia Space for NASA. The module measures 14 feet wide and 24 feet long, approximately the length of a minibus. It was the second NASA-led hub module for the station, following Unity, which served as Node 1. The module was originally designated as Node 2 before being named through a public contest run by NASA.
The structure contains five common berthing mechanisms that serve as connection points for other station elements. Upon arrival, astronauts temporarily 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 at the Destiny module. This maneuver cleared the path for Harmony to be berthed at its permanent location beside Destiny.
From this permanent position, Harmony serves as the central link for future modules. 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 of the module allows visiting vehicles to park there, while other ports have accommodated cargo ships.
The installation of Harmony marked the first major addition to the station since 2001. In that year, Russia attached the Pirs docking module, which has since been removed from the station. The new hub provided the necessary infrastructure for subsequent growth by offering multiple connection points.
Inside the module, eight payload racks house various equipment. Four of these racks are dedicated to avionics. The remaining four are used for stowage or as crew quarters. The sleeping quarters for American astronauts are located within Harmony.
