Endeavour joue les prolongations NOUVELOBS.COM | 30.11.1999 | 00:00 L'astronaute Steve Bowen au cours de la quatrième sortie dans l'espace. L'astronau

The mission of the space shuttle Endeavor has been extended by one day to allow astronauts to overcome problems of the new system of water recycling, announced the U.S. space agency last night. Since it was installed on the space station last week the system to convert water recovered by condensation and urine of astronauts drinking water has given wire twisting the crew of the mission STS-126. The centrifuge should separate the particles of liquid seems to suffer from excessive vibration. The system, which must turn four consecutive hours to provide recycled water stopped after two hours, then three hours. NASA would like the device works before the return to Earth of the mission so that samples back aboard Endeavor. Recycled water must be tested before the astronauts aboard the station can drink it. If the process water treatment has become commonplace on Earth, it is not so simple in weightlessness: the device recreates an artificial gravitational field in order to separate the dirt of the liquid. Outside the space station work is finally finished-this time. Astronauts Steve Bowen and Shane Kimbrough completed last night, around 00h30 GMT, the fourth extra-vehicular exit of the mission. One of the objectives of the four output was lubricating the rotary joint solar panels of the station. This complex operation requiring several interventions, with disassembly and reassembly greasing the key. During the first exit, the astronauts lost time due to loss of purse tools Heidemarie Stefanyshyn-Piper, bag which is now orbiting the Earth. Surprisingly brilliant, the bag is visible from Earth with a small telescope, reports the site Spaceweather astronomy. The return of the shuttle Endeavor is now scheduled for Sunday November 30 at 18h18 GMT. At the end of this mission, the space station is ready to double the number of residents: from 2009, the crew will spend 3 to 6 people.