''Harmony'', also known as ''Node 2'', is the "utility hub" of the

International Space Station The International Space Station (ISS) is a large space station that was Assembly of the International Space Station, assembled and is maintained in low Earth orbit by a collaboration of five space agencies and their contractors: NASA (United ...

. It connects the laboratory modules of the

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and

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, as well as providing electrical power and electronic data. Sleeping cabins for four of the crew are housed here. ''Harmony'' was successfully launched into space aboard

Space Shuttle The Space Shuttle is a retired, partially reusable launch system, reusable low Earth orbital spacecraft system operated from 1981 to 2011 by the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) as part of the Space Shuttle program. ...

flight

STS-120 STS-120 was a Space Shuttle mission to the International Space Station (ISS) that launched on October 23, 2007, from the Kennedy Space Center, Florida. The mission is also referred to as ISS-10A by the ISS program. STS-120 delivered the ''Harmony ...

on 23 October 2007. After temporarily being attached to the port side of the ''Unity'' module, it was moved to its permanent location on the forward end of the ''Destiny'' module on 14 November 2007. ''Harmony'' added to the station's living volume, an increase of almost 20%, from to . Its successful installation meant that from

NASA The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA ) is an independent agencies of the United States government, independent agency of the federal government of the United States, US federal government responsible for the United States ...

's perspective, the station was considered to be "U.S. Core Complete".

Origin of name

The unit formerly known as ''Node 2'' was renamed ''Harmony'' in March 2004. The name was chosen in a competition where more than 2,200 students from 32 states participated. 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, which will serve as a central hub for science labs. The six winning classes were: Paul Cummins' 8th grade class at Browne Academy, Alexandria, Va.; Mrs.Sue Wilson's 3rd grade class at Buchanan Elementary School, Baton Rouge, La.; Brigette Berry's 8th grade class at League City Intermediate School, League City, Texas; Bradley Neu's 9th grade science class at Lubbock High School, Lubbock, Texas; Russell Yocum 's 3rd grade class at West Navarre Intermediate School, Navarre, Fla.; and, David Dexheimer's students at the World Group Home School, Monona, Wisconsin.

Specifications

''Harmony'' is the second of three node modules on the

United States Orbital Segment The US Orbital Segment (USOS) is the name given to the components of the International Space Station (ISS) constructed and operated by the United States National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), European Space Agency (ESA), Canadian ...

(USOS). It is composed of a cylindrical, thick 2219-T851 aluminium alloy pressure shell with two endcones and is thermally insulated by a goldised

Kapton file:Kaptonpads.jpg, Kapton insulating pads for mounting electronic parts on a heat sink Kapton is a polyimide film used in flexible printed circuits (flexible electronics) and space blankets, which are used on spacecraft, satellites, and variou ...

blanket A blanket is a swath of soft textile, cloth large enough either to cover or to enfold most of the user's body and thick enough to keep the body warm by trapping radiant body heat that otherwise would be lost through Thermal conduction, condu ...

. It is protected from

micrometeoroid A micrometeoroid is a tiny meteoroid: a small particle of rock in space, usually weighing less than a gram. A micrometeorite is such a particle that survives passage through Earth's atmosphere and reaches Earth's surface. The term "micrometeoro ...

s by 98 panels, each made from a composite sandwich of

stainless steel Stainless steel, also known as inox, corrosion-resistant steel (CRES), or rustless steel, is an iron-based alloy that contains chromium, making it resistant to rust and corrosion. Stainless steel's resistance to corrosion comes from its chromi ...

and 6061-T6 aluminium alloy, and a secondary barrier of

Kevlar Kevlar (para-aramid) is a strong, heat-resistant synthetic fiber, related to other aramids such as Nomex and Technora. Developed by Stephanie Kwolek at DuPont in 1965, the high-strength material was first used commercially in the early 1970s as ...

resin A resin is a solid or highly viscous liquid that can be converted into a polymer. Resins may be biological or synthetic in origin, but are typically harvested from plants. Resins are mixtures of organic compounds, predominantly terpenes. Commo ...

. The design is based on the existing

Multi-Purpose Logistics Module A Multi-Purpose Logistics Module (MPLM) is a large pressurized container that was used on Space Shuttle missions to transfer cargo to and from the International Space Station (ISS). Two MPLMs made a dozen trips in the Shuttle cargo bay and initi ...

, as well as the

European Space Agency The European Space Agency (ESA) is a 23-member International organization, international organization devoted to space exploration. With its headquarters in Paris and a staff of around 2,547 people globally as of 2023, ESA was founded in 1975 ...

's '' Columbus'' module (both of which have only one passive

Common Berthing Mechanism The Common Mechanism (CBM) connects habitable elements in the US Orbital Segment (USOS) of the International Space Station (ISS). The CBM has two distinct sides that, once mated, form a cylindrical wiktionary:vestibule, vestibule between modules ...

BM. There are six CBMs on ''Harmony'': the aft CBM that connects it to ''Destiny'' is passive; the rest are active. ''Harmony'' is managed by NASA's

Marshall Space Flight Center Marshall Space Flight Center (officially the George C. Marshall Space Flight Center; MSFC), located in Redstone Arsenal, Alabama (Huntsville, Alabama, Huntsville postal address), is the Federal government of the United States, U.S. government's ...

Huntsville, Alabama Huntsville is the List of municipalities in Alabama, most populous city in the U.S. state of Alabama. The population of the city is estimated to be 241,114 in 2024, making it the List of United States cities by population, 100th-most populous ...

. Its deployment expanded the Space Station, allowing it to grow from the size of a three-bedroom house, to the space equivalent of a typical five-bedroom house, once the Japanese '' Kibō'' and European '' Columbus'' laboratories are attached. The Space Station robotic arm,

Canadarm2 The Mobile Servicing System (MSS) is a robotic system on board the International Space Station (ISS). Launched to the ISS in 2001, it plays a key role in station assembly and maintenance; it moves equipment and supplies around the station, suppo ...

, is able to operate from a powered

grapple fixture Grapple fixtures are used on spacecraft or other objects to provide a secure connection for a Articulated robot, robotic arm. North America The fixtures allowed the Space Shuttle, Space Shuttle's Canadarm (also known as the Shuttle Remote Manipul ...

on the exterior of ''Harmony''. ''Harmony'' is equipped with eight

International Standard Payload Rack The International Standard Payload Rack (ISPR) is a steel framework container that is designed and been adopted by the International Space Station (ISS) program to support efficient integration and interchangeability of space payload hardware, ...

s: four avionics racks and four for stowage or crew quarters. The first two were delivered on

STS-126 STS-126 was the one hundred and twenty-fourth NASA Space Shuttle mission, and twenty-second orbital flight of the ''Space Shuttle Endeavour'' (OV-105) to the International Space Station (ISS). The purpose of the mission, referred to as ULF2 by ...

and the second two on

STS-128 STS-128 ( ISS assembly flight 17A) was a NASA Space Shuttle mission to the International Space Station (ISS) that launched on August 28, 2009. carried the Multi-Purpose Logistics Module ''Leonardo'' as its primary payload. It was Discovery's 37t ...

. After the cancellation of the

Habitation Module The Habitation Module for the International Space Station was intended to be the Station's main living quarters designed with Galley (kitchen), galley, toilet, shower, sleep stations and medical facilities. About the size of a bus, the module wa ...

, ''Harmony'' was chosen to house the American Crew Quarters.

Construction agreement

In an agreement between

and the

, the company

Thales Alenia Space Thales Alenia Space () is a joint venture between the French technology corporation Thales Group (67%) and Italian defense conglomerate Leonardo (company), Leonardo (33%). The company is headquartered in Cannes, France. It provides space-based ...

, built ''Harmony'' at its facility in

Turin Turin ( , ; ; , then ) is a city and an important business and cultural centre in northern Italy. It is the capital city of Piedmont and of the Metropolitan City of Turin, and was the first Italian capital from 1861 to 1865. The city is main ...

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

. ''Harmony'' arrived on 1 June 2003 at the

Kennedy Space Center The John F. Kennedy Space Center (KSC, originally known as the NASA Launch Operations Center), located on Merritt Island, Florida, is one of the NASA, National Aeronautics and Space Administration's (NASA) ten NASA facilities#List of field c ...

Florida Florida ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the north, the Atlantic ...

after its flight in an

Airbus Beluga The Airbus A300-600ST (Super Transporter), or Beluga, is a specialised wide-body airliner used to transport aircraft parts and outsize cargoes. It received the official name of ''Super Transporter'' early on, but its nickname, after the belu ...

oversize cargo vehicle. Following post transportation inspection, the

Italian Space Agency The Italian Space Agency (; ASI) is a government agency established in 1988 to fund, regulate and coordinate space exploration activities in Italy. The agency cooperates with numerous national and international entities who are active in aerospac ...

(ASI) formally handed over ''Harmony'' to the

(ESA). From there, ESA formally transferred ownership of ''Harmony'' to NASA on 18 June 2003, taking place in the

Space Station Processing Facility The Space Systems Processing Facility (SSPF), originally the Space Station Processing Facility, is a three-story industrial building at Kennedy Space Center for the Manufacturing of the International Space Station, manufacture and Process manufac ...

(SSPF) of the Kennedy Space Center. The handover of ''Harmony'' completed a major element of the barter agreement, between ESA and NASA, that was signed in Turin, Italy on 8 October 1997. Paolo Nespoli, an ESA astronaut born in

Milan Milan ( , , ; ) is a city in northern Italy, regional capital of Lombardy, the largest city in Italy by urban area and the List of cities in Italy, second-most-populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of nea ...

, Italy, accompanied the ''Harmony'' module aboard

as a mission specialist.

Launch

''Harmony'' was launched on 23 October 2007 aboard of the

, as the primary component of assembly mission ISS-10A. On 26 October 2007, the station's Space Station Remote Manipulator System (SSRMS) removed ''Harmony'' from the shuttle cargo bay and temporarily mated it to the port side of '' Unity'' and, on 27 October 2007, the crew entered in ''Harmony''. After the Space Shuttle departed, ''Harmony'' was relocated to the forward dock of the ''Destiny'' laboratory. It required three EVAs by the station crew to complete the installation.

Connecting modules and visiting vehicles

''Harmony'' was the first permanent living space enlargement to the ISS after the ''Pirs'' docking compartment was added in 2001. The

Expedition 16 Expedition 16 was the 16th List of International Space Station Expeditions, expedition to the International Space Station (ISS). The first two crew members, Yuri Malenchenko and Peggy Whitson, launched on 10 October 2007, aboard Soyuz TMA-11, an ...

crew moved the

Pressurized Mating Adapter A Pressurized Mating Adapter (PMA) is a component used on the International Space Station (ISS) to convert the Common Berthing Mechanism (CBM) interface used to connect ISS modules to an APAS-95 spacecraft docking port. Three PMAs are attached ...

(PMA-2) on 12 November 2007 from ''Destiny'' to the forward berth of ''Harmony''. The combined PMA-2/''Harmony'' unit was subsequently berthed to its final destination at the forward end of ''Destiny'' on 14 November 2007. All the following Space Shuttle missions would dock at this location. On 11 February 2008, ESA's '' Columbus'' laboratory was attached to the starboard hatch of the ''Harmony'' module during space shuttle mission

STS-122 STS-122 was a NASA Space Shuttle mission to the International Space Station (ISS), flown by the . STS-122 marked the 24th shuttle mission to the ISS, and the 121st Space Shuttle flight overall. The mission was also referred to as ISS-1E by the I ...

. On 14 March 2008, the Experiment Logistics Module Pressurized Section (ELM-PS) of Kibō was attached to its interim location: the

zenith The zenith (, ) is the imaginary point on the celestial sphere directly "above" a particular location. "Above" means in the vertical direction (Vertical and horizontal, plumb line) opposite to the gravity direction at that location (nadir). The z ...

hatch of ''Harmony''. During

STS-124 STS-124 was the 35th mission of Space Shuttle ''Discovery''. It went to the International Space Station on this mission. ''Discovery'' launched on May 31, 2008, at 17:02 EDT, moved from an earlier scheduled launch date of May 25, 2008, and land ...

, a Space Shuttle mission flown by Space Shuttle ''Discovery'', the Pressurized Module of Kibō was added to the port side of ''Harmony'' and the ELM-PS was moved, leaving the zenith hatch empty. The zenith hatch was originally intended to be the permanent docking connector for the now canceled Centrifuge Accommodations Module (CAM). When the Space Shuttle flew the

s (MPLMs) to the station, the MPLM would be temporarily berthed to the

nadir The nadir is the direction pointing directly ''below'' a particular location; that is, it is one of two vertical directions at a specified location, orthogonal to a horizontal flat surface. The direction opposite of the nadir is the zenith. Et ...

mechanism of ''Harmony''. The Japanese

H-II Transfer Vehicle The H-II Transfer Vehicle (HTV), also called , is an Expendable launch system, expendable Japanese Cargo spacecraft, automated cargo spacecraft designed for International Space Station (ISS) resupply missions, particularly the Kibo (ISS module ...

and the American Commercial Resupply Service (COTS) vehicles,

Dragon A dragon is a Magic (supernatural), magical legendary creature that appears in the folklore of multiple cultures worldwide. Beliefs about dragons vary considerably through regions, but European dragon, dragons in Western cultures since the Hi ...

and Cygnus, are temporarily berthed to either the nadir or zenith mechanism. In August 2016, the forward docking port was equipped with the

International Docking Adapter The International Docking Adapter (IDA) is a spacecraft docking system adapter developed to convert APAS-95 to support docking with spacecraft that implement the International Docking System Standard. The IDA uses NASA Docking System (NDS) hard ...

(IDA) delivered with the CRS-9 mission. This adapter was used for the first time for the automatic docking of the

Crew Dragon Dragon 2 is a class of partially reusable spacecraft developed, manufactured, and operated by the American space company SpaceX for flights to the International Space Station (ISS) and private spaceflight missions. The spacecraft, which consi ...

spacecraft during its uncrewed test mission on 3 March 2019. File:STS-132 Atlantis at ISS 1.jpg, Space Shuttle docked to PMA-2 File:MPLM berthed to Node 2.jpg, MPLM berthed to Node 2 nadir File:HTV-3 berthed to Harmony nadir.jpg, HTV being berthed to Node 2 nadir File:COTS2 Dragon is berthed.jpg, Dragon being berthed to Node 2 nadir File:Orb CRS-1 unberthing - crop.jpg, Cygnus being unberthed from Node 2 nadir File:Canadarm2 moving Harmony node into position.jpg,

moving the ''Harmony'' module into position on the ISS File:Both commercial Crew vehicles Crew Dragon and Starliner docked to ports on harmony module at the same time.png, Both Commercial Crew vehicles Crew Dragon and Starliner docked to zenith and forward ports on harmony module at the same time File:Commercial Crew Program vehicles.jpg, Commercial Crew Program vehicles Starliner and Dragon On 26 March 2017, PMA-3 was robotically removed from the ''Tranquility'' module and attached to the zenith port of the ''Harmony'' module after being prepared during a successful spacewalk on 24 March 2017. A second spacewalk was conducted on 30 March 2017 to finalize the PMA-3 cable connections on ''Harmony''. PMA-3 is linked to the

-3 adapter, delivered on the SpaceX CRS-18 mission in July 2019. IDA-3 was fully linked to PMA-3 during an EVA on 21 August 2019.

References

External links

Node 2 specifications from the ESA

Thales Alenia Space page for Node 2
{{Orbital launches in 2007 Components of the International Space Station Spacecraft launched in 2007