Menu

1 / 4

On this day in space! Oct. 23, 2007: NASA launches Harmony module to ISS on STS-120 space shuttle mission

#spacecom3#science#space#module#harmony
Reading 0:00
15s threshold

On October 23, 2007, the space shuttle Discovery launched the Harmony module to the International Space Station .

The Harmony module is a utility hub 14 feet wide and 24 feet long, or about the length of a minibus. It joins the European Space Agency's Columbus module and Japan's Kibo laboratory and serves as the crew quarters for the American astronauts.

Once it was installed, the space station grew from about the size of a three-bedroom house to something more like a five-bedroom house. When astronauts delivered Harmony to the space station , they left it temporarily attached to the Unity node.

After the shuttle left, astronauts used the space station's robotic arm to move the shuttle docking port out of the way at the Destiny module. This made room for Harmony to then dock at its permanent home next to the Destiny module.

The U.S. Harmony node flew to space aboard space shuttle Discovery during mission STS-120, in October 2007, to be a connecting module and allow a larger space station.…

Continue reading — create a free account

Join HashtagPLUS to read full articles, follow hashtags, vote, and join the conversation.