Astronauts relocated the International Space Station's Harmony module to its permanent home on Wednesday, in preparation for the delivery of two new laboratories.
The move, which began at 3:58 a.m. ET, marked the first time a major component of the space station was relocated without a shuttle present.
Canadarm2, under the control of flight engineer Dan Tani, moves the Harmony module into position.
(NASA TV)
American astronaut Daniel Tani used the Canadarm2 robotic arm to detach and move the Italian-made pressurized compartment — including a new docking adapter that was added Monday — from its former place on the Unity module to the forward end of the U.S. Destiny lab.
Station commander Peggy Whitson, also an American, operated the common berthing mechanisms to free the module and to install the bolts securing Harmony, a utility hub, to Destiny.
The move was completed at 5:45 a.m. Whitson and Tani are scheduled to participate in two 6.5-hour spacewalks next week, on Tuesday and Saturday, to hook up Harmony's fluid, electrical and data lines in preparation for the new labs.
The new European laboratory, Columbus, is slated to arrive aboard NASA's shuttle Atlantis, which is scheduled to launch on Dec. 6. The second lab, Japan's Kibo, will arrive in two pieces in February and April.
The space station is expected to be completed in 2010.
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