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Shuttle mission extended as astronauts complete fourth spacewalk

Image above: STS-126 Mission Specialist Steve Bowen works outside the International Space Station during the mission’s fourth spacewalk. Credit: NASA TV

Mission specialists Steve Bowen and Shane Kimbrough, KE5HOD completed the fourth spacewalk of the STS-126 mission at 7:31 p.m. EST Monday. The excursion lasted six hours and seven minutes.

Their tasks included installing the final starboard Solar Alpha Rotary Joint (SARJ) trundle bearing assembly, mounting a video camera on the Port 1 truss, installing a Global Position Satellite antennae on the Japanese Experiment Module Logistics Module and lubricating the port SARJ race ring.

Inside the station, the other shuttle and station crew members completed maintenance on the Water Recovery System's Urine Processor Assembly (UPA) and started another processing cycle. Engineers hoped that the maintenance performed would enable the UPA to run for its full four-hour processing time.

In addition, the Space Shuttle Program Mission Management Team formally approved extending STS-126 by one day. The crews of the International Space Station and space shuttle Endeavour now will spend Thanksgiving day together, and the shuttle will undock on Friday.

Landing is targeted for the Kennedy Space Center's Shuttle Landing Facility at about 1:18 p.m. Sunday