Fresh spacewalk in vexed mission

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Astronauts make their third spacewalk to repair the space station

Astronauts from the International Space Station have completed a third spacewalk to solve the latest glitch.

They are trying to fix a jammed joint that is supposed to keep the station's solar panels pointed towards the sun.

Scientists are still struggling to repair a new recycling system intended to convert astronauts' urine into drinking water.

During a previous space walk, the astronauts accidentally lost a tool box worth more than $100,000 (£65,000).

This was the third spacewalk made by the crew to repair the International Space Station' solar panels.

Astronauts Heidemarie Stefanyshyn-Piper and Stephen Bowen spent almost seven hours working on the defective joint.

Expanded crew

A total of four spacewalks are planned for the 11-day mission.

Meanwhile, the astronauts are still trying to repair a water recycling system worth over $150m (£100m) that has failed twice since being delivered to the station a week ago by the space shuttle Endeavour last Sunday.

The US space agency Nasa needs to have the system working before the station's crew size can be expanded next year.

The shuttle mission is the fourth and final of the year.

Endeavour and its crew are to due to land back at Kennedy Space Center in Florida on 30 November.

Nasa had hoped to fly a servicing call to the Hubble Space Telescope last month but delayed the mission to May 2009 to prepare for some additional repair work on the observatory.