Harmony Module Launched 19 Years Ago Today

Nineteen years ago today, NASA's space shuttle Discovery launched carrying a module designed to link the International Space Station's future laboratories. The Oct. 23, 2007 liftoff began the STS-120 mission.

Harmony measures 14 feet wide and 24 feet long, about the length of a minibus. Thales Alenia Space of Italy built the module for NASA. It provides connection points for ESA's Columbus laboratory and Japan's Kibo laboratory, and it contains the sleeping quarters for American astronauts.

Before Discovery's flight, the last new room added to the station was Russia's Pirs docking module in 2001. Harmony became the second NASA-led hub module after Unity, also called Node 1. NASA selected the name Harmony through a public contest.

After arriving at the station, astronauts temporarily attached Harmony to the Unity node. Following the shuttle's departure, crew members used the station's robotic arm to relocate the docking port at Destiny, clearing the location where Harmony would be permanently berthed.

The roughly two-week STS-120 mission ended with Harmony moved from Unity to the forward port of NASA's Destiny laboratory. From that position, the module links Europe's Columbus lab on the starboard side and Japan's Kibo lab on the port side. A docking port on its roof accommodates visiting vehicles, and some ports have handled cargo ships.

Inside Harmony are eight payload racks. Four hold avionics equipment, while the remaining four are used for stowage or crew quarters. The module carries five common berthing mechanisms for connecting other station components.