NASA sponsored the 'Node 2 Challenge' to find a name for its Node 2, which will be the connecting hub module for future launches of space laboratories by Europe and Japan. After over 2,000 students from 32 states participated in the contest, the name Harmony was selected because “the name symbolizes the spirit of international cooperation embodied by the space station”

The schools winning the contest are located at Browne Academy (Alexandria, Virginia), Buchanan Elementary School (Baton Rouge, Louisiana), League City Intermediate School (League City, Texas), Lubbock High School (Lubbock, Texas), West Navarre Intermediate School (Navarre, Florida), and World Group Home School (Monona, Wisconsin).

When it is fitted to the Space Station, Harmony will be one of several components already on the station including Destiny laboratory, Unity node (Node 1), Zarya control module, Zvezda service module, Quest airlock, and Pirs docking compartment. Harmony is the first part of the Space Station that was named by someone outside of the NASA space community.

Harmony is about 21 feet (6.4 meters) long and approximately 14 feet (4.3 meters) in diameter. It will function as a passageway to science laboratories and cargo, additional space for living and working, and platform for the robotic arm.

Harmony is expected to be onboard the NASA Space Shuttle Atlantis (STS-120) during its scheduled launch from the Kennedy Space Center in August 2007. Besides attaching Harmony to the station, the crewmembers will also reconfigure part of the Space Station in preparation for future assembly missions.

Additional information about the STS-120 mission is found at NASA’s Web site: http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/shuttlemissions/sts120/.

Additional information about Harmony is provided by NASA at: http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/structure/harmony.html.

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International Space Station  Japan  NASA  Space Shuttle  Space Station  William Atkins