Students give "Harmony" to ISS

"Harmony" will be the new name of the Node 2 connections module for the space station. International laboratory modules will be attached to this piece of the station. The name was chosen by US students as a part of the NASA Exploring Space Challenges and announced on March 15 at Kennedy Space Center.

Students from across the United States put together proposals and models of module as a part of the program. Six schools submitted the name "Harmony" and were each recognized at the ceremony.

This is cute, uplifting, and heart-warming, but it is also a MAJOR departure from previous NASA naming standards. Renaming STS-1 the Enterprise took 100,000 letters from devoted fans! The new Constellation program, Orion capsule, and Ares rockets were all chosen in-house by NASA management. Perhaps this is a sign of a new, more open and inclusive NASA culture? Let's celebrate this milestone and push to have the public name the first Orion capsule as well!

NASA Exploring Space Challenges
NASA Node 2 information
Press Release on SpaceRef.com