Some
gateways to international progress, it turns out, look like giant tin cans that
float in space.
The U.S.
Harmony connecting module, also known as Node 2, has been deemed such a gateway
because it is crucial for future expansion of International Space Station (ISS).
NASA successfully
launched the Italian-built node on Tuesday aboard the space shuttle
Discovery from Kennedy Space Center at Cape Canaveral, Fla.
But never
judge a space station module by its metallic cover: the 31,500-pound
(14,288-kilogram) Harmony packs devices essential to completion of the orbital
laboratory by September 2010, when NASA plans to retire its aging space shuttle
fleet.
"It's
a very complex piece of hardware," said Paolo Nespoli, a European Space
Agency (ESA) spaceflyer and STS-120 crewmember, in a NASA interview. "It's
an example of how an international cooperation can work together ... and continue
the building of this important laboratory."
NASA
mission managers expect the seven-person crew of the STS-120 mission,
led by Cmdr. Pam Melroy, to berth Harmony to the ISS on Oct. 26 just one day
after docking.
Core of
science
Once
Discovery and its crew attach Harmony to the space station, it will be the
first pressurized module added to the ISS since September 2001.
From its
permanent home on the end of the Destiny laboratory, Harmony will serve as a
core to distribute air, water, electricity and other systems to two major scientific
hubs to be attached at a later time.
"Node 2 is
the expansion of the space station's capability to bring international
laboratories up," Melroy said, adding that it will also allow to the space
station crew to double to six members. "It's this big boost in the
capability which is really exciting."
The node is
23.6 feet (7.2 meters) long and 14.5 feet (4.4 meters) in diameter, and will increase
the space station's livable space by more than 2,500 cubic feet (71 cubic
meters). A powered grapple fixture on the end of Harmony will also allow
crewmembers to operate the space station's robotic Canadarm2 from the module.
NASA hopes
to launch the ESA's Columbus Research Laboratory to the ISS in December and attach
it to one of Harmony's four available ports during the STS-122 mission. Further
space shuttle missions—STS-123, STS-124 and STS-127—will deliver the four main
chunks of the Japanese Experimental Module called Kibo, also for attachment
to Harmony.
Long
road to Harmony
Thales
Alenia Space, a Torino, Italy, company, built Harmony as part of an agreement
between NASA and the ESA, and delivered the component to NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla., in June 2003.
Yet the
module's name remained "Node 2" until March 15 of this year, when NASA
ended a contest among U.S. schools to name the node—six different
schools from five different states, in fact, suggested "Harmony."
"Harmony
was selected to symbolize the spirit of international cooperation embodied by
the space station, as well as the module's specific role in connecting the
international partner modules," said Steve Huning, STS-120 launch package
manager.
Margaret Brackey, an 8-year-old who built a model of the Harmony
module with her classmates as part of the contest, told SPACE.com that
her naming of the module had more to with its pleasing sound.
"I
just like the name Harmony," Brackey told SPACE.com, adding that
her mother and classmates settled on the moniker after a few discussions.
In either
case, mission managers are looking forward to the day the module is permanently
installed.
"The
arrival of the Harmony module really sets the stage for a series of shuttle
flights between now and next spring that will finally allow us to realize the
full benefit of this international partnership," said Kenny Todd, ISS
program manager. "That's something we've looked forward to for a very,
very long time."
NASA is broadcasting Discovery's STS-120 launch and mission operations live
on NASA. Click here for
mission updates and NASA TV from SPACE.com.
SPACE.com
Staff Writer Tariq Malik contributed to this story from Cape Canaveral, Fla.
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