Discovery Delivered Harmony Hub to Orbit 19 Years Ago

The space shuttle Discovery launched on October 23, 2007, carrying the Harmony module to the International Space Station. This flight, designated STS-120, delivered a 24-foot-long utility hub that expanded the orbiting outpost's capacity. The module measures 14 feet in width, a size comparable to a minibus.

Before this delivery, the station was roughly the size of a three-bedroom house. With Harmony attached, the complex grew to the volume of a five-bedroom home. The last new room added before this mission was Russia's Pirs docking module, which arrived in 2001 and has since been discarded.

NASA 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 from the Destiny module. This maneuver cleared the forward port of the Destiny laboratory, allowing Harmony to be berthed at its permanent location.

Harmony serves as a central connector for the station's international partners. The European Space Agency's Columbus module is attached to the starboard side, while Japan's Kibo laboratory is docked on the port side. The hub also features five common berthing mechanisms that act as connection points for other components.

Italy-based Thales Alenia Space constructed the module for NASA. It was originally designated Node 2, following Unity, which is known as Node 1. A public naming contest led by NASA resulted in the selection of the name Harmony.

Inside the module, eight payload racks are installed. Four of these racks house avionics equipment. The remaining four racks provide space for stowage or crew quarters. The sleeping quarters for American astronauts are located within this module.

Visiting cargo ships have utilized some of the module's ports for docking. A docking port on the roof of Harmony allows additional vehicles to park there. The STS-120 mission lasted approximately two weeks before the shuttle returned to Earth.