This graphic shows the International Space Station's U.S. Node 2. Credit: NASA Expansion of the International Space Station continued with the delivery of the Harmony node in October 2007. Harmony traveled to the station inside Space Shuttle Discovery’s payload bay during STS-120. Harmony’s addition set the stage for the arrival of new research laboratories. Harmony, which is also known as Node 2, was the first pressurized module added to the station since the Russian Pirs Docking Compartment was added in September 2001. Harmony joined three other named U.S. modules on the station: the Destiny laboratory, the Quest airlock, and the Unity node. The most recent U.S. pressurized module added before Harmony was the Quest airlock in July 2001. Harmony is 23.6 feet (7.19 meters) by 14.5 feet (4.42 meters) and weighed 31,500 pounds (14,288.16 kilograms) at launch. It was built for NASA by ThalesAlenia Space in Italy.
The module acts as an internal connecting port and passageway to international science labs and cargo spacecraft. Harmony is a utility hub, providing air, electrical power, water, and other systems essential to support life on the station. It distributes resources from the station’s truss to the Destiny lab, to the European Space Agency’s Columbus Laboratory, and to the Japanese Kibo Laboratory. In addition to increasing the living and working space inside the station, its exterior also serves as a work platform for the station’s robotic arm, Canadarm2. Harmony is similar in shape to the six-sided Unity module, also known as Node 1, which was launched in 1998. Unity links the Destiny lab and the Russian Zarya module.
The International Space Station's U.S. Node 2 is shown in a processing facility. Credit: NASA On March 15, 2007, the module received its name during an academic competition involving more than 2,200 students from 32 states. Six different schools submitted “Harmony.” A panel of NASA educators, engineers, scientists, and senior agency management selected the name because it symbolizes the spirit of international cooperation embodied by the station, as well as the module’s specific role in connecting the international partner modules. The Node 2 Challenge required students to learn about the space station, build a scale model, and write an essay explaining their proposed name for the module that serves as a central hub for science labs. Harmony is the first U.S. piece of the space station to be named by people outside of NASA.
+ European Space Agency's ISS Web Site
+ European Space Agency's Node 2 Web Site
+ Unity Node
+ International Space Station Science Operation News