Harmony (ISS module)

Harmony
	Harmony after arriving at KSC (2003)
Space station:	International space station
Start date:	October 23, 2007
Launcher:	Space Shuttles Discovery
Coupling:	October 26th
Dimensions:	14.5 t
Length:	6.71 m
Diameter:	4.48 m
Volume:	75.5 m³
	Adjacent modules

Harmony ( English for harmony) is the second connection module (formerly called Node 2) of the International Space Station (ISS) after Unity . A third and final connection node followed on February 8, 2010 with Tranquility .

Harmony is 6.71 m long, has a diameter of 4.48 m and a launch mass of 14.5 t. The pressurized volume is approx. 75.5 m³. The module has eight racks that are used to supply the station with air, electricity and water, as well as contain other vital systems.

Harmony controls and distributes the resources of the carrier structure and the US laboratory Destiny to the associated segments; the European Columbus laboratory, the coupling adapter PMA-2 , the Japanese science module Kibō , the multi-purpose logistics module and the HTV transport vehicle . It also serves as the starting point for the ISS Remote Manipulator System.

Harmony mounted on the Destiny 2007 module, still without the Kibo and Columbus modules

Lighting during bedtime

Interior view of the Harmony (seen in the photo: Ronald John Garan , Catherine Coleman , Paolo Nespoli and Alexander Samokutyaev )

The module belongs to the US-American part of the station and was built by Alenia Spazio ( Italy ) on behalf of the European Space Agency (ESA) and Agenzia Spaziale Italiana for NASA . In return, the Columbus space laboratory transports these to the ISS.

Harmony was flown on an Airbus Beluga from Turin, Italy, to the USA and arrived at the Kennedy Space Center on June 1, 2003 . The official handover to NASA took place on June 18. The module started on October 23, 2007 with the space shuttle mission STS-120 to the ISS and was provisionally mounted on Unity three days later. On November 14, 2007, it was relocated to its final location at the end of the Destiny Laboratory.

Web links

Commons : Harmony - collection of pictures, videos and audio files

ESA: information about Harmony (English)
NASA Feature: Harmony Node 2 (English)
NASA: Space Station Module In Perfect 'Harmony' With New Name , March 14, 2007 (English)