WASHINGTON, January 30 (RIA Novosti) - U.S. astronauts Peggy Whitson and Daniel Tani completed a spacewalk and returned to the International Space Station on Wednesday, NASA said on its Web site.

"The spacewalkers removed and replaced a Bearing Motor Roll Ring Module (BMRRM) that experienced electrical failures in early December. The BMRRM, or 'broom', drives the solar arrays as they tilt towards the sun maximizing power generation," NASA said.

"While the spacewalkers were still outside, Mission Control switched on the new BMRRM and rotated the solar arrays attached to the Beta Gimbal Assembly."

"Whitson and Tani then inspected the Solar Alpha Rotary Joint (SARJ). The SARJ experienced electrical spikes last year and previous inspections revealed contamination and debris. Also, video inspections of the SARJ took place over the weekend providing data for engineers on the ground," NASA said.