Harmony has arrived at the International Space Station (ISS). On 26 October, spacewalkers Scott Parazynski and Douglas Wheelock floated outside the ISS to prepare the Italian-built module – also known as Node 2 – for attachment to the Station. The robotic arm of Discovery then came into action as the 14 tonne module was gently lifted from the Shuttle’s cargo bay. Under the supervision of ESA astronaut Paolo Nespoli, Harmony was soon locked into a temporary position on the left side of the Unity (Node 1) module.
The following day, Nespoli and ISS Commander Peggy Whitson became the first crew members to enter the Station’s new corridor. Wearing goggles and face masks as protection against any loose flying objects, the astronauts began removing more than 700 bolts that were fitted for the launch. “It’s a pleasure to be here in this very beautiful piece of hardware,” said Nespoli, during a short ceremony to mark the occasion.
Having conducted a number of experiments and assisted with three more spacewalks, Nespoli and six other crew members returned to Earth on 7 November after spending 15 days in space. Now that Discovery has left for home, the ISS Expedition 16 crew are free to attach a docking port to Harmony and move it to its permanent location at the Station’s front end.
Harmony is the first permanent European addition to the ISS. The second of three nodes, or connecting modules, it will soon become the attachment point for ESA’s Columbus lab and the Japanese Kibo laboratory.
