Earlier today, astronauts Stephen Bowen and Robert "Shane" Kimbrough began the fourth and final spacewalk outside the International Space Station. The plan is to complete the work on the power-generating solar wing’s joint, which is needed to ensure that all the appliances function at their full capacity.

Space station commander Michael Fincke explained that the power generated by the wing will help with the process of accommodating an expanded crew of six residents, move which is scheduled for next year. Also, the power will be used to complete the work on more experiments.

"We're going to need every watt of that power," he stated yesterday, as quoted by the Associated Press.

The cleaning and lubricating of the joint was supposed to be completed on the third spacewalk but because there was no time left, some of the actins had to be delayed for this fourth mission. Other tasks for today include installing a video camera, a spacewalk handrail and a GPS antenna, but also taking photos of equipment, to make sure that everything is set in place.

"We're jacking up the international space station, taking the wheels off, and we're bound to get a little dirty, a little dusty and meet a few surprise along the way," said Endeavour commander Christopher Ferguson, adding "I think we've weathered this one just fine and come back with a lot of confidence."

Aside from the delays, there have been certain situations that demanded quick thinking and rapid decisions and so far, the crew managed to successfully overcome all the bumps.