Tranquility, also known as Node 3, is a module of the International Space Station (ISS). It contains environmental control systems, life support systems, a toilet, exercise equipment, and an observation cupola.
The European Space Agency (ESA) and the Italian Space Agency (ASI) had Tranquility manufactured by Thales Alenia Space. A ceremony on November 20, 2009, transferred ownership of the module to NASA. On February 8, 2010, NASA launched the module on the Space Shuttle's STS-130 mission.
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The Cupola is an ESA-built observatory module of the International Space Station (ISS). Its name derives from the Italian word cupola, which means "dome". Its seven windows are used to conduct experiments, dockings and observations of Earth. It was launched aboard Space Shuttle Endeavour's mission STS-130 on 8 February 2010, and attached to the Tranquility (Node 3) module. With the Cupola attached, ISS assembly reached 85 percent completion. The Cupola's central window has a diameter of 80 cm (31 in).
Thales Alenia Space (/ˈθɑːlɛz/) is a European spaceflight services joint venture between the French technology corporation Thales Group (67%) and Italian defense conglomerate Leonardo (33%). It forms one half of the Space Alliance along with Telespazio which is also owned by Leonardo (67%) and Thales (33%).
It provides space-based systems, including satellites and ground segments, used for telecommunications, navigation, earth observation, space exploration and scientific purposes. The company is a major industrial participant in the International Space Station (ISS), having produced numerous pressurized modules including the Cupola, the Harmony and Tranquility nodes, the Columbus laboratory and for the Cygnus cargo spacecraft. It is a key contributor to Galileo, a European global satellite navigation system, being responsible for the ground segment in particular. In 2021, the company was also awarded a contract by the European Space Agency (ESA) and the European Commission to build 6 of the 12 new Galileo Second Generation satellites. The company is also an important industrial partner towards development of the Lunar Gateway.
STS-130 (ISS assembly flight 20A) was a NASA Space Shuttle mission to the International Space Station (ISS). Space Shuttle Endeavour's primary payloads were the Tranquility module and the Cupola, a robotic control station with six windows around its sides and another in the center, providing a 360-degree view around the station. Endeavour launched at 04:14 EST (09:14 UTC) on February 8, 2010, and landed at 22:22 EST on February 21, 2010, on runway 15 at the Kennedy Space Center's Shuttle Landing Facility.
The Habitation Module for the International Space Station (ISS) was intended to serve as the station's primary living quarters. About the size of a bus, it was designed to include a galley, toilet, shower, sleeping quarters, and medical facilities. Construction of the pressurized hull was completed, but the module was ultimately canceled before launch. If it had been flown, the module would have been berthed to Tranquility.