good morning. security breach? the prostitution scandal involving secret service agents widening this morning. nbc news has learned the men had copies of president obama's exact schedule in their hotel rooms at the time. could the president's safety have been compromised? billion dollar rip-off? bad news for drivers as the weather heats up. this morning, why you may be getting far less than you pay for at the pump, and the simple solution that some gas stations are fighting. and no victim, no crime? will there be a criminal investigation into that incident involving pippa middleton and a driver holding what appears to be a pistol? we're live in paris as police

decide what, in any, actions to take "today," tuesday, april decide what, in any, actions to take "today," tuesday, april 17th, 2012. captions paid for by nbc-universal television and good morning. welcome to "today" on a tuesday morning. i'm matt lauer. >> good morning, everyone. i'm savannah guthrie, in for ann this morning. that secret service scandal is moving well beyond embarrassing now. with word that those agents had sensitive information in their possession. >> so imagine you're in a hotel room, you're a secret service agent, and you're there with a prostitute. somewhere nearby in that room is a copy of the president's exact itinerary. what would happen if that itinerary fell into the wrong hands? well, an investigator from the u.s. is now in colombia to interview potential witnesses. we're also hearing that even more agents and military personnel may have been involved in this than originally thought.

coming up we'll talk about the fallout with new york congressman peter king, chair of the house homeland security committee. >> also ahead, start packing. that's mitt romney's message to president obama. as the gop's presumptive nominee begins his search for a running mate. coming up, what he says he'll look for in a vice president. >> and actress jennie garth will be here. he's going through a difficult divorce from her husband of 11 years. this morning she'll open up in a live interview with the split, how she's hoping to turn the page with a new reagoty show. >> and then, her novel has become a run away hit all around the world. it's a racy tale and women cannot seem to get enough of it. this morning the author of "fifty shades of grey" opens up in a rare interview. and even she blushes at some of the things she's written. fifty shades of pink we all turned. >> two of the ladies in the studio have read the book, correct? >> that is correct. some have ordered the sequel. >> one here and another across the studio. natalie is over at the news desk with a check of the headlines.

natalie? >> matt, thank you. okay. good morning to you guys once again. in the news this morning, new developments this morning after kate middleton's sister pippa was photographed with a friend who appeared to be aiming a gun at the paparazzi. nbc's michelle kosinski is in paris with more. michelle, good morning. >> hi, natalie. all this controversy and buzz surrounding an acquaintance of pippa middleton pointing what appears to be a gun on the streets of paris has opened up a barrage of reports, some of them conflicting. just this morning a french photographer was quoted as saying he felt sure that gun was plastic, this was all just a big joke. but others quote police sources as saying they are reviewing the photos and expect to receive more information. now, using a gun, real or fake, to threaten someone is a crime. but at this point, police say there is no investigation because no one has filed any formal complaint about it. natalie? >> all right. michelle kosinski. we're going to have more on this story coming up shortly. thank you. congress is putting the general services administration, the gsa, in the hot seat.

set to grill both current and former officials on an $823,000 las vegas conference back in 2010. on monday, jeff neely, the gsa official at the center of the scandal, used his fifth amendment rights on capitol hill to keep silent. but damaging photographs posted to his wife's social media account have surfaced showing him in a lavish hotel room during a scouting trip for that 2010 conference. new information about a terrifying incident board an air canada jet last year that left 16 people injured last january. a canadian transportation safety board investigation found that when the co-pilot awoke from his approved nap in the cockpit, his fatigue caused him to then mistake the planet venus for an approaching u.s. military plane. as a result he took a severe nosedive toward the atlantic ocean, violently throwing passengers and their belongings around the cabin. at the time, air canada blamed the incident on turbulence, but now says it will take new

measures to address pilot fatigue. the space shuttle "discovery" takes to the sky one last time today with a little help from a modified jumbo jet, as you see it there. the two are piggybacking back to washington, d.c. where nasa's oldest and most traveled shuttle will then begin its retirement as a museum piece at the smithsonian. we can all look forward to that there. the owner of the third and final winning mega millions ticket has come forward in illinois. the lucky single winner will be presented with a check for $218.6 million in the small town of red bud on wednesday. but unlike the winners in maryland, and kansas, the winner in illinois will be required to claim his or her prize publicly, according to the lottery rules there. so savannah and matt, we're all going to get to know who this person is tomorrow. and everybody's going to be moving to red bud, illinois, and becoming their best friend. >> and it's happening on tax day. >> perfect. >> it's just perfect. natalie, thank you very much. mr. roker is here with a check of the weather. it's been warm in the north.

>> i walked into your dressing room, saw the moon, and i dodged -- >> no, that was uranus. >> here's the line. >> anyway. let's show you what's happening right now. good morning, a clear sky, bright sunshine on this tuesday morning, tom kierein, storm center 4. and temperatures right now, are in the low to mid 60s near washington, much of virginia and maryland. a little bit cooler farther west and north out of the mountains

in the 50s and later this morning for the final flight of discovery, we'll be in the 60s, peaking low and mid 70s this afternoon. cooler tomorrow, could get >> and that's your latest weather. matt? >> all right, al, thanks very much. new details are emerging about the widening prostitution scandal involving members of the secret service. this as the demand for answers grows louder in congress. nbc's kristen welker is at the white house with more on that. kristen, good morning to you. >> good morning to you, matt. those 11 secret service personnel are waking up this morning after having their security clearances revoked. and now we are learning more about the night that may have led to this entire situation. as the investigation into the secret service and military prostitution scandal enters its fourth day, one u.s. official tells nbc news a group of the men were out and about at this bar, play club, in cartagena, last wednesday. several locals told our sister

network telemundo they saw 10 or 11 americans there that night saying they were drinking, partying and watching a strip show. u.s. officials say the men later brought prostitutes back to this hotel, less than a mile from where the president would very eent lullly stay. now, secret service and military investigators are looking into the possibility that there may have been more men involved. so far, u.s. officials say there are at least 11 secret service, and more than 5 military personnel under scrutiny. nbc's national investigative correspondent michael isikoff, has been speaking with law enforcement officials. >> sources tell us among those involved were two secret service supervisors, three members of the elite counterassault team, whose job it is to repel attacks on the president's motorcade, and three members of the countersniper team, those officers with rifles who scout for threats from the tops of buildings. >> reporter: isikoff also reports none of the agents was part of the president's personal detail.

but had hard copies of the president's schedule. >> if the prostitutes had access to that, they could have potentially given it to a foreign intelligence service, a drug cartel, or even a terrorist group. >> reporter: sources tell nbc news the military officials under investigation include bomb disposal experts and dog handlers from the army, navy and marines. >> i can speak for myself and my fellow chiefs who are embarrassed by what occurred in colombia. we let the boss down. >> obviously if violations are determined to have been the case, then these individuals will be held accountable, and that's as it should be. >> reporter: members of congress are calling for an investigation. but for this former secret service agent, who served for 12 years, the damage is already done. >> this is a national embarrassment. he's our president. he's overseas. he's not a democrat president. he's our president. overseas. and this was an embarrassment. >> reporter: now the military has sent a special investigator

to cartagena who will be interviewing people at that hotel and anyone else who may have information about this incident. savannah? >> all right, kristen welker at the white house thank you. new york republican congressman peter king is chairman of the house committee on homeland security, which oversees the secret service. congressman, good morning to you. >> good morning, savannah. >> before we get into the larger issues here, we know that 11 agents were involved with allegedly 11 prostitutes. but there have been reports that up to 20 may have been involved. can you confirm that there were more than 11? >> my understanding right now is that the number is at 11. obviously, everything is being done to find out the exact number. but as of now, the only precise number is 11. 11 agents and 11 women. >> there's another report that the scene got rather ugly that morning, in that one of the agents actually threw furniture, got very angry at the hotel manager. to your knowledge, is this true? >> so far, i don't believe it is true. but again, it's being examined. there was a dispute between the agent and the woman.

and the agent initially would not allow the hotel manager into his room. but the hotel manager did go and get the colombian police. my understanding is when the police arrived, there was an argument between the agent and the woman over the amount of money, but as far as the furniture, so far there's no evidence of that. i know that the investigators have spoken to various hotel employees, and as of now there's no evidence that there was furniture being thrown around or that there was a really disorderly scene. it was the argument between the agent and the woman, though. that's for sure. >> let's talk about the security breach here. i know you look at this as more than theoretical. we've reported that these agents actually had the minute by minute presidential schedule in their rooms. can you paint a picture of how damaging this could have been to the president's security. >> yeah, right now, we really lucked out on this. because this could have been disastrous. first of all, as you said, agents have access to the president's schedule. even if they didn't, just having

prostitutes, if they were agents working for a terrorist group or al qaeda for that matter, they would just be able to pick up anything, any tidbit of information as to where the president might be, what might be being planned, who else might be coming in. and also, there could be materials, laptop computers, all of this. i mean, this violates the most basic rule of being a secret service agent. don't allow a potential enemy into your security zone. you don't put yourself in a compromising position. your job is to protect the president of the united states. >> let me ask you the larger question here. "the wall street journal" wrote about a culture within the secret service of wheels up, rings off. referring to, once the president is in the air, the rings come off, the partying begins. do you think there is a larger cultural problem within the secret service? and does it disturb you that this actually happened before the president was wheels down, before he even got there? >> certainly, to me, i think the most disturbing thing, that this happened before the rez got there. it's one thing what happens

afterwards. that's a separate issue. but the fact that there was drinking and partying going on while they should have been getting ready for the president to arrive, that makes it even worse than it is. >> do you think it's widespread in the agency? >> i've spoken to many people, i've dealt with secret service agents in washington and new york, actually around the country, i've been on presidential trips. i have not seen this type of behavior. i think -- the fact that so much attention something focused on this, i think it's the exception. that's why i think the secret service manager, the director, mark sullivan, why they're coming down so heavy on these 11 people. because this does -- i mean, i have great respect for the secret service. they do an outstanding job. they're professionals. that's why this is being done after so diligently and so vigoro vigorously, finding the secret service director and all people at the top level. >> on the secret service draekter, should he keep his job? how far should accountability go? >> when this happened he acted immediately. he removed those 11 agents from the country immediately. got them out of the country. right now, i know that there's a

very severe investigation going on. i've known mark sullivan. i have great regard for him. and from all we know so far he acted quickly, he acted promptly and did the right thing. i think it's wrong to be prejudging either mark sullivan or the entire secret service on what 11 agents did. >> thank you for sharing your views this morning. now here's matt. >> all right, savannah, thank you. mitt romney is hitting the campaign trail in pennsylvania today. but he's clearly got his sights set on pennsylvania avenue. launching the search for a running mate. nbc's peter alexander is in washington, d.c. peter good morning to you. >> good morning to you. mitt romney said he began the vp search process this past weekend but he won't say when he'll make his final decision. campaign advisers say experience is going to be one of romney's top criteria. and the 2008 vp choice of sarah palin, who critics say was insufficiently vetted, is sure to cast a shadow on the process, as well. >> this campaign is just getting going. it's going to be fun. >> reporter: just watching him, it's clear mitt romney is

becoming increasingly comfortable in his role as the presumptive republican nominee. >> mitt romney in the house today. >> reporter: spending monday at a red sox game, romney fired off this fastball at president obama during an interview with abc news. >> start packing. that's what i'd like to say, obviously. we have a very different view. the president, i'm sure, wants another four years. but the first years didn't go so well. >> reporter: campaign advisers confirmed to nbc news that romney has formally started the search for a running mate. tapping one of his closest confidants, beth myers to head up the vp vetting process. senator john mccain has already weighed in. but campaign advisers say don't expect romney to pick a game changer like sarah palin. meanwhile, ann romney is clarifying her response to a democratic strategist remarks last week that the wealthy mother of five couldn't understand the challenges facing cash-strapped working moms. >> his wife has actually never worked a day in her life.

>> reporter: during a private fund-raiser in florida this weekend, overheard by reporters outside, ann romney said this about those remarks. it was my early birthday present for someone to be critical of me as a mother. and that was really a defining moment. and i loved it. when the remarks became public monday, ann romney explained she doesn't view the controversy in political terms. >> that wasn't how i meant it. it was a birthday gift to me, because i love the fact that we're talking about this. i love the fact that women are talking about deficit spending, and the economy. i love that. >> it's a thrill to be here on "saturday night live." >> reporter: the real mitt romney revealed he's considering an appearance on "saturday night live" but he says it will depend on the nature of the skit. he says he wants it to be funny. >> and of course, there's that unforgettable opening we all know oh, so well. hey, new york, let's start the show. >> it's saturday night. >> yeah, exactly, what he said. that's right.

>> reporter: romney says he watches the "snl" skits and he thinks that he is, quote, very good. by the way, as for ann's birthday. she said her favorite present is a beautiful red dress from her husband. she says she liked it so much she might actually save it for the convention this august. >> all right. peter alexander in washington this morning. peter, thank you very much. it's 17 after the hour. once again here's savannah. >> matt, thanks. now to the death of trayvon martin. george zimmerman, who is charged with second degree murder, is seeking a new judge in the case. nbc's kerry sanders is in sanford, florida, this morning with the details on that. kerry, good morning to you. >> reporter: well, good morning, savannah. it's up to judge jessica recksiedler if she will recuse herself from this case. she's already publicly acknowledged the potential conflict of interest. meantime, the lawyer representing george zimmerman, who says his client was acting in self-defense the night he shot trayvon martin, filed papers here on monday, asking the judge to step down. but those documents, like so many associated with this case,

are currently sealed from public view. if convicted of second degree murder, 28-year-old george zimmerman could spend the rest of his life in prison. with so much at stake, defense attorney mark omar ra wants the judge to reveal any conflict of interest she may have in this case. >> there's certainly the potential of conflict. get it taken care of now. >> reporter: what is the potential ethical conflict? judge jessica recksiedler's husband is also a lawyer. jason recksiedler works mostly civil litigation at one of the largest law firms in central florida. a law firm where mark meejam is a partner. zimmerman had asked him if he would represent him. but when he declined he recommended o'mara. adding to the mix, he is a legal expert on contracts with cnn and hln to comment on this case.

another twist? he and o'mara are friends. both were legal analysts on wkg-tv in orlando during the casey anthony trial. >> in a high profile case where everything is magnified, even a small conflict can become big enough to take a judge off the case. >> reporter: if judge recksiedler recuses herself, the case will be randomly assigned to another judge. it's up to whomever presides over this case to decide if the investigation records should remain sealed or should be released to the public. a consortium of news organizations, including the new york times, mcclatchy, and nbc news has filed for the release of all documents. that could include photos of george zimmerman the night of the shooting. a videotaped interview with police. trayvon martin's autopsy reports. and detailed investigative narratives by detectives. >> our public records law says if the information is information the defense should get, then the whole public

should get it. it's just part of the whole way of looking at how our justice practice should work. open, transparent, available to anyone. >> reporter: a bond hearing is scheduled for this friday, and these issues could come up then. but accord administrator here says the schedule is not set in stone and could change. savannah? >> all right, kerry sanders in sanford, florida, this morning, thank you. it is now 7:20 and here's matt. >> savannah, thanks. families are created in a lot of different ways these days but some say the laws are not keeping up with the science. and one american mother says that has placed her in a situation that's both frustrating and humiliating. here's nbc's martin fletcher. >> they're like perfect. >> reporter: like any mom, she adores her children. >> i wonder what i did to get such an amazing gift. >> reporter: what she did was in vitro fertilization in israel. using donor sperm and donor eggs to have a baby.

in her case, twins maya and sheila, now 2 1/2 years old. because she's an american from chicago, she went to the u.s. embassy in israel to register her daughters as americans, and that's when joy turned to anger. >> i was embarrassed, humiliated, horrified, ashamed. >> reporter: to her last petition over a loudspeaker in a crowded room she asked her, a single mother, how she conceived the children. >> it's an outrageous question. >> reporter: and that was just the beginning. after more private questions asked in a public least, elise fled in tears. she said her children's request for u.s. citizenship, denied. why? because there's no proof that either the donors of the sperm or of the egg is american. everything's anonymous. secrecy guaranteed. >> they are my kids. i carried them for nine months. >> you can have a child that is a child without a country.

they are not going to get u.s. citizenship because there's no biological connection. and the laws of that foreign country may say we don't recognize this child as our citizen, either. and the law really needs to address this. >> reporter: if maya and sheila were adopted there'd be no problem. but in vitro babies. >> u.s. policy is not keeping up with the technology. that's essentially what the issue is. >> reporter: there is a way for the girls to become americans. live in america for six months and do all the paperwork there. but the family lives in israel. and what elise thinks should be an automatic right, the children born to an american mother are american, well, it's harder for in vitro babies born outside the united states. for "today," martin fletcher, nbc news, tel aviv. >> we reached out to the state department, officials there tell us they are sympathetic to the family's situation, but they are following the law. just ahead, more on the fallout over these photos of pippa middleton in a car with a driver who is holding what

appears to be a gun. word a photographer is actually in on it. we'll get a live report from paris. but first, this is "today" on nbc.

coming up a costly problem that's aing to your misery at the pump. why consumer groups say you're being cheated every time you fill up your gas tank on a hot day. >> and we'll reveal the suburban mom behind the hit novel "fifty shades of grey." but do you really? [ female announcer ] neutrogena® makeup remover erases 99% of your most stubborn makeup with one towelette. can your makeup remover do that? [ female announcer ] neutrogena® makeup remover. [ female announcer ] sometimes, all you need

is the smooth, creamy taste of werther's original caramel to remind you that you're someone very special. ♪ werther's original caramels. good morning, it's 7:26, i'm aaron gilchrest. right now, the shuttle "discovery" on its way to our area, it took off just a few moments ago from the kennedy space center in florida, on its way to the udvah-hazi center in chantilly, virginia, live coverage on news4 and on nbcwashington.com. weather and traffic coming weather and traffic coming up next, stay with us.

weather and traffic coming uthe middle class is shrinking. in this day and age you can only accomplish so much without a degree, and traditional institutions are simply not set up to accommodate people who have jobs and families. university of phoenix works for those people who have real lives and real demands. the degrees that we offer are things where people can fulfill their goals with even brighter hopes for the future. my name is katy white, i'm committed to making a difference in people's lives and i am a phoenix.

good morning, tom kierein, storm center 4, here's "discovery's" projected flight path along the atlantic seaboard and over the bay and up the potomac into our our area, between 10:00 a.m. and a.m. tomorrow could get rain in the 60s, that's the way it looks. ramps to little river turnpike is shut from the inner loop of the beltway. a crash though, please look out

for that we're seeing delays on the inner loop. aaron, over to you. >> another update in 25 minutes, for now, we'll send you back to new york for more of the "today show" after a short braek.

so have you read it? we're talking about "fifty shades of grey." it is the steamy novel that's become a worldwide sensation. women, it seems, can't put it down. and you may be surprised when you meet the mom who wrote it. coming up our interview with the elusive e.l. james. 7:30 now on a tuesday morning, april 17th, 2012. i'm matt lauer alongside savannah guthrie, who is in while ann is taking some time off. >> good morning, everybody. also ahead today, you expect to get what you pay for when you fill up at the pump. especially these days when you're paying so much. but apparently that is not always the case. we're going to tell you why consumer groups say you're being ripped off every time you get gas during the long, hot days of summer. >> also ahead, it's called sin

city for a reason. now there's an unusual way to heal yourself after a night of heavy partying in las vegas. and all you have to do is hop on a bus. it's going to be a little controversial. we'll explain that. >> that's an interesting idea. and then jennie garth is going to be here. we're going to talk to her about her new reality show, moving to the country with her daughters and the recent end of her marriage. >> all right, let's begin this half hour with that incident involving pippa middleton, what looks like a gun and photographers in paris. nbc's michelle kosinski has the latest. michelle, good morning. >> hi, matt. when you see those photos it seems very clear that this thing is a gun. what we don't know, was it real? was it fake? but real, or fake, if someone was being threatened, then this could be considered a crime. just this morning a french photographer was quoted anonymously as saying he felt sure this was just a plastic toy. he thought it was nothing more than a joke. but other reports are quoting police sources as saying that they are reviewing the photos

and expect more information to come in. it was the photo seen around the world. and how pippa middleton and her pals could have found this amusing. while pippa and three friends took a convertible dprief through paris on sunny saturday, here look at the driver, pointing a gun directly at someone. the others, smiling. the headlines now blaring, and citizens asking, who do they think they are? >> you can't just brandish a gun in broad daylight and point it at somebody, but to do it in france is even worse. because france has very, very tough gun laws. >> reporter: the alleged target of the sun was a paparazzi. and despite reports some photographers may have known it was a joke a police source is quoted as saying they expect to receive more information. brandishing a gun in france whether real or not, is a crime. punishable by up to several years in prison. pippa middleton could

potentially be called as a witness if this were to become an investigation. and if it were believed she was in on the idea, the planning or carrying out of threatening someone this way, she, too, could be prosecuted. >> i don't think you can ever overreact when there's a gun being pointed at someone. whether it's a fake gun, or a real gun. >> reporter: the young man in the back seat is, according to newspapers, tviscount. who was seen at a birthday party pippa had attended the night before with another prominent young parisian. here she smiles coyly next to a man with a dog collar and chain around his neck. this is an embarrassment for sociable pippa. she stepped into the public eye at her sister's royal wedding, looking angelic. the palous has no comment. here in paris the aggressive paparazzi has long drawn the ire of its subjects. you remember in 1997, princess

diana died in that horrible car crash, the driver pursued by photographers. this time it seems the paparazzi was the intended target, and joke or not, not too many others besides those in this car are smiling. now a situation like this, of passengers in the car could potentially be charged with something like being an accessory if they helped plan a threat. or maybe disorderly conduct if they took part in a prank. but the likelihood of this is a whole other story. and at this point police say there is no formal investigation, because no one has come to them and complained about the gun, or pippa, or anything. matt? >> all right, michelle kosinski in paris this morning. michelle, thank you very much. martin barb ear is the host of the martin bashear covered the royal family extensive. >> christopher, let me start with you, because you always have a good way of putting things in perspective for me. clearly this is something that

happened with bad judgment. it is a joke if it's that that went very wrong. the police have photo evidence. but unless somebody comes forward does this become anything more than a front page photo that has a short life span? >> no, i'd say that's exactly what it is. in fact the french press is laying it on the entertainment pages, if it's playing it at all. they're not taking this very seriously because there are no charges and because they think probably its a plastic gun based on at least one of the paparazzi who was there has told gala.fr. i think they're not playing it very seriously here. >> have you heard any of these reports that have circulated here, christopher, that perhaps the paparazzo, the photographer who was the target of this joke, if it was a joke, might have actually been in on it? >> well, that's exactly what we're reading, and what the french press is saying. that the paparazzo was, you know, playing along with this. it was all kind of a joke. but let me just be clear about something and that's how stupid

this was. whether it was a joke or not. this was taking place very close to the big train station here in paris, where the eurostar is. where there are armed police and armed soldiers on patrol all the time. the last thing you want to do is be brandishing anything that looks like a gun in that vicinity. so this wound up being a joke, it will probably be a short-term story. but there was a potential here for tragedy, and i can't overstate how stupid it was to be playing these kinds of games where they were playing them. >> martin, let me turn to you. image is very important for the royal family. pippa middleton is not actually a member of the royal family. but how big a deal is this? >> i remember a courtier once saying to me that whenever a member of the public gets close to the royal family, they utter a paraphrase of the lord's prayer, lead us not into temptation, deliver us from evil. why? because members of the public, when they get into contact with the royal family, have an opportunity. it brings with it the section, so for example, a month before the royal wedding last year, pippa middleton's parents, they

run a family business, a merchandising business, they started producing all these kind of merchandises around the royal wedding. a month after the royal wedding, pippa middleton is sitting in one of the most prestigious seats at roland garros, the french tennis open. now would she have been there if her sister had not married the heir to the throne? of course not. the problem is you have opportunity without responsibility because you're not placed -- you're not a member of the royal family and yet you're connected in some way. >> how does the royal family handle a public relations nightmare like this? who changes charge in a situation like this? >> i don't think the palace will say a word. but i think her sister will give her the mother of all tongue lashings. this year is hugely important for the united kingdom. it is the queen's diamond jubilee. it is the london 2012 olympics. you and i will be in london taking the best network television in america there. this is the last thing the royal family needs. >> except these things tend to go away.

the royal family has survived if not thrived in the wake of some other incidents of young people behaving badly. we don't have to catalog all the incidents involving prince harry over the years. >> we don't. and also, she is a young person, and as i said, she's not a member of the royal family. so she ought to be unencumbered. the problem is that if your sister is married to the heir to the throne, it brings with it certain responsibilities. and that's why, whatever she does is going to be scrutinized. and that's why her sister, i think, is probably going to give her a tongue lashing. >> she might have to come out with an apology herself. martin in new york, christopher in paris, thanks as always. nice sighing you. and a remainder you can catch the martin bashir show 3:00 p.m. weekdays on msnbc. let's get a check of the weather from mr. al roker >> "today's weather" is brought to you by so slimming jean from chico's. >> and good morning. boy was it hot in boston yesterday. you won the boston marathon?

>> we got second. >> yeah. in a parallel universe. but how hard was it during that heat? >> really hard. >> well, congratulations. >> happy birthday, jenna. >> all right. happy birthday to jenna. let's talk about these jenna. >> let's talk about the temperatures, yesterday, boston, 87, set a record, 86 in watertown. 84 in ponmontpelier. it will be 10 to 30 degrees cooler today. watertown, 52, 77 in new york city. we need some rain. because we've got very dry conditions. red flag warnings from southern new jersey all the way on up into new england. and as you can see, temperatures are going to be in the 30s and 40s around the great lakes, 80s and 90s through the southwest. in the northeast, we'll be seeing rain as we move into the weekend. here's what's going on in your neck of the woods. beautiful morning under way, good morning, tom kierein, storm center 4. we're in the low and mid 60s throughout the region. here's the final forecast for

"discovery's" flyover for its final flight. mostly sunny, we'll be in the upper 60s near 70 during the 10:00 to 11:00 a.m. timeframe when it will be flying over the potomac. later today, into the 70s, cooler tomorrow, maybe some showers, could get some more showers over the weekend. >> that's your latest weather. matt? >> all right, al, thank you very much. up next, a new pain at the pump. why you may not be getting what you pay for when you fill up your gas tank on a hot day. we'll explain that right after these messages. cash rewards credit card, we earn more cash back for the things we buy most. 1% cash back everywhere, every time. 2% on groceries. 3% on gas. automatically. no hoops to jump through. no annual fee. that's 1% back on... wow! 2% on my homemade lasagna. 3% back on [ friends ] 2% on road trip!!!!!!!!!!!! [ male announcer ] get 1-2-3 percent cash back. apply online or at a bank of america near you. ♪

and then at 3:15 with my guilt. [ female announcer ] special k cracker chips. 27 crispy chips. 110 delicious calories. same time tomorrow? [ female announcer ] find them in the cracker aisle. ♪ [ female announcer ] find them in the cracker aisle. pull on those gardening gloves. grab the nearest spade. and let's see how colorful an afternoon can be. with certified advise to help us expand our palette... ...and prices that give us more spring per dollar... ...we can mix the right soil with the right ideas. and bring even more color to any garden. more saving. more doing. that's the power of the home depot lay down a new look, with earthgro mulch, now three bags for just $10.

♪ i've got a little secret, too ♪ ♪ i've got a mad little crush on you ♪ [ female announcer ] it's always better when there's a little more to love. introducing our silky smooth dove chocolate bar. a dog is not merely a pet. a dog, well, a dog is family. and when it comes to your family's health, you want the best. now you can have it without paying the most. petarmor flea and tick protection. it has the same active ingredient as frontline top spot, and it's just as safe and effective against fleas and ticks, but costs about half as much. sure our dogs may be called pets, but we all know they're family. petarmor. same protection as frontline top spot at about half the cost. available at walmart.

molly, ordinary soap. would they switch? ♪ notice a difference? it feels a bit tight. [ female announcer ] soap leaves behind soap residue that can cause a tight, draggy feeling. with one-quarter moisturizing cream, dove cleansers rinse cleaner than soap. ♪ show us your skin and you could appear in a dove ad with thousands of real women, just like you. just upload a photo of yourself and join the campaign at dove.com/showusyourskin. [ drumming continues ] [ cymbal crashes ] back now at 7:43. and this morning on rossen reports, what consumers are

calling a billion dollar rip-off that could be overcharging you at the gas pump. "today" national investigative correspondent jeff rossen is here with the story. jeff, good morning. >> good morning. you don't need me to tell you gas prices are incredibly high right now and only getting worse. if you're anything like me you shop around for the best price. but consumer groups say, there is a summertime secret at gas stations. cheating you at the pump, out of billions of dollars. talk about sticker shock. $4. $4.50. more than $5 for gas. we're all feeling the squeeze. >> gas prices are getting crazy. >> i'm spending way too much money for the gas. >> reporter: but consumer watchtalks like judy duggen say many drivers don't even know the half of it. >> it's a huge rip-off of american drivers. >> reporter: you see, when it's hot outside and the gasoline is warm, consumer advocates say you're not getting what you pay for. >> every time you stick that nozzle in your tank on a hot day, you're getting cheated. >> reporter: here's the issue, when gas gets hot it loses

energy. meaning your car gets fewer miles per gallon. fill up at 60 degrees and the typical car can go 500 miles. but fill it up when it's 90 degrees, you get ten miles less out of that same tank. but guess what, you're still paying the same amount at the pump. >> there's no way that we can tell what kind of value you're getting when we pull in to the gas station. >> reporter: in fact, according to the 2007 congressional report, persamericans were payin estimated $1.5 billion extra for gas in just that one summer. and gas prices had skyrocketed since. is this fixable? >> yes, there's technology on the market that would fix it. >> reporter: gas pumps with special meters would give you the right amount of gas for your money, based on the heat. those pumps are available today. but the gas stations won't install them. in fact, they're fighting it. >> we simply don't agree that the is worth the squeeze. >> reporter: he says they're

already giving consumers the best deal they can. that drivers benefit in cold weather and installing the new pumps would just be too expensive. >> putting a $2.4 billion cost on gas station owners would only transfer $2.4 billion to the consumer. >> reporter: so you're saying if they put this technology into place we have to pay for it? >> of course. >> reporter: but here in canada they've been doing it for nearly two decades. now 90% of gas stations use these pumps. that measure and adjust for temperature. so on a hot day, you actually get more gas for your money. consumer advocates say here, no matter what the weather, you actually get what you're paying for. now, angry american drivers have filed class action lawsuits against gas station chains in 21 states. calling it fraud. hoping to force gas stations to install the high test pumps. what is your message to the oil industry, to these gas stations? >> the message is just fix it. we're getting ripped off. it's easy to fix. >> now it looks like the big

companies are taking action as part of a legal settlement, costco has agreed to install the new pumps at its gas stations in warm weather states, pending court approval. and now three of the big oil companies, bp, shell and conoco phillips, well they're settling, too. debt tails of that settlement still unclear. but this is not over yet. not by a long shot. other gas station chains are fighting the lawsuit. savannah, they'll be in court next month. we're going to keep an eye on this because i think a lot of consumers maybe want this change. >> every penny counts these days. jeff rossen, thanks so much. still to come, a rare interslew with the extremely shy mom behind that racy novel, "fifty shades of grey." but up next, the new hangover cure rolling through las vegas. we're going to go for a ride on hangover heaven. coming up right after this. hush little bunny don't say a word. we used to be enemies, but that's absurd. a nibble on your ear used to keep me up all night. now our relationship can be nice and bright. yes, my chocolate friend, our struggle's thru. when i bite your head off, i'll still love you.

now i have truvia and i've been set free. natural sweetness from a leaf with zero calories. it's freed me to enjoy. it tastes really great. it helps me balance out what i've got on my plate. now i can indulge in the things i adore. i don't have to wrestle with sweetness anymore. truvia. honestly sweet. we asked total strangers to watch it for us. thank you so much, i appreciate it, i'll be right back. they didn't take a dime.

how much in fees does your bank take to watch your money ? if your bank takes more money than a stranger, you need an ally. ally bank. no nonsense. just people sense. thank you for the lovely meal, jane. mom. and maybe this is just the cake talking but let's celebrate! [ male announcer ] buy any kfc 10 pc meal or larger and get a free double chocolate chip cake. [ male announcer ] buy any kfc 10 pc meal or larger your mood and your makeup. makeup like you've never seen before. new revlon® photoready airbrush™ mousse make up. unique air-infused mousse formula blends easily for a smooth, poreless, airbrushed finish. aflac! ha! isn't major medical enough? huh! no! who's gonna help cover the holes in their plans? aflac! quack! like medical bills they don't pay for? aflac!

or help pay the mortgage? quack! or child care? quack! aflaaac! and everyday expenses? huh?! blurlbrlblrlbr!!! [ thlurp! ] aflac! [ male announcer ] help your family stay afloat at aflac.com. plegh! we're back now at 7:50 with a new way for visitors in las vegas to deal with a night of excessive partying. a local doctor says all you need to do is hop on the hangover heaven bus. nbc's gabe gutierrez is on the vegas strip to explain this. gabe, take it away. >> reporter: matt, good morning. you know, a lot of people are surprised that nobody thought of this sooner. especially here in vegas. but, there are still a lot of skeptics out there, so we decided to try out this bus on its first weekend. in sin city, where the nights are young, and the mornings can be painful, we met a rowdy group

from north carolina. who started drinking hours before. >> i don't know what to expect. this is my first time in vegas. >> sin city. the place to break loose and have a good time. >> a night the four of us will never forget. >> reporter: a mantra captured in the movie "the hangover," where bad decisions lead to a rough morning. >> some guys just can't handle vegas. >> reporter: now, they might have a little help. after a long night, some of our north carolina revelers are the first customers of hangover heaven. a bus for the times you feel like hell. >> this is the front los angeles of the bus. >> reporter: jason burke came up with the idea. he's a board certified anesthesiologi anesthesiologist, and a businessman. >> i was in the recovery room one day treating patients for head eks, nausea, aches and pains and realized that a lot of the medications and treatments i was giving them worked well for a hangover. >> reporter: the bus will travel the vegas strip on weekend mornings, looking for people to

hook up to ivs and rehydrate. for a price. the redemption package costs $90. the salvation package, with extra medicines for different systems runs $150. >> we encourage you to drink in moderation. >> reporter: for this group from casper, wyoming, it's worth it. >> we're here for a company outing. a sales meeting. not a lot of meeting going on. >> reporter: another woman clearly needed help. >> thank god i got on this bus. whoo. >> reporter: sure enough, within 20 minutes, we saw a definite improvement. >> i think it will definitely encourage a lot more debauchery in vegas, that's for sure. >> reporter: still, its website offers this disclaimer. hangover heaven is not designed for emergencies or serious medical conditions resulting from alcohol poisoning. >> this is really a short-term fix, and it's really the hydration component. it doesn't take away the toxicity of alcohol. >> reporter: but for this business, location is everything. just ask its first customers.

>> 45 minutes, and i'm feeling good. >> love this bus. >> reporter: now the owner says that he won't treat anyone who's belligerent. this is all about allowing people to enjoy the rest of their very indications, he says. matt? >> all right, gabe, thank you. stick a needle in your arm because you had too much to drink? bad idea. >> i think they should serve burger and fries. that works. >> jennie garth coming up. mother of three. he fue it was soccer, and ballet, and cheerleading, and baseball. those years were crazy. so, as we go into this next phase, you know, a big part of it for us is that there isn't anything on the schedule.

(belhi.ings) good morning. big news. we're spreading the word about new honey bunches of oats fruit blends and their unique taste combinations. like peach/raspberry... and banana/blueberry. we're telling everyone. with one flavor in the granola bunch and one on the flake. try some. mmm! two flavors. in harmony. yummy. four nutritious grains and two big fruit flavors to make your day bunches better. [ female announcer ] walgreens introduces...nice! [ woman ] i got it. where's your brother? [ dog barking ] ♪ [ telephone rings ] [ dad ] hello. [ female announcer ] quality everyday products at a way better price. [ boy ] mom? ♪ [ female announcer ] now that's nice. come in now and get $2 off your next purchase when you spend $10 on nice products. sold only at walgreens.

gives you a 50% annual bonus. and who doesn't want 50% more cash? ugh, the baby. huh! and then the baby bear said, "i want 50% more cash in my bed!" phhht! 50% more cash is good ri... what's that. ♪ you can spell. [ male announcer ] the capital one cash rewards card. the card for people who want 50% more cash. what's in your wallet? ha ha. ♪

7:55 is your time on this tuesday, april 17, 2012, good morning, i'm eun yang. let's get the forecast now from meteorologist tom kierein in the storm center. it looks like a nice day. >> great day for the discovery flyover. we'll be near 70 degrees, lots of sun. later into the afternoon, into the 70s. later today, cloudy and cooler, could get a passing shower. then a couple of dry days after that over the weekend, looking wet again. could get passing showers, saturday, sunday and monday, highs near 70. highs[ male announcer ] this was how my day began.

got my bearings. ♪ a little bird told me about a band. ♪ an old man shared some fish stories. ♪ ooh, my turn. ♪ she was in paris, but i still got to see her. we talked for hours. ♪

everyone else buzzed about the band. music, stories, adventures, memories. ♪ ...all at my fingertips. ♪ there's a wireless mind inside all of us. ♪ so, where to next? ♪

good morning, you had a crash that shut down the ramp to little river turnpike from the inner loop of the beltway. the ramp is now reopened, but you're still seeing delays on the inner loop, driving 27 miles per hour, the delays start at the interchange, continue to the dulles toll road. >> the shuttle "discovery" is on its way to d.c., expected to arrive at 10:00 a.m. and expected to land at 10:40. we'll bring you live coverage of the historic flight all morning long right here on news4, can you get more information on

at 8:00 on a tuesday morning, it's the 17th day of april, 2012. and you know what it makes it? >> tax day. >> tax day 2012. that's right. these people have filed their returns, they're shipshape. including lenny. and that's good news. i'm on the plaza along with savannah guthrie, who is in while ann is taking some vacation time this week. and mr. roker, as well. and if we could look through the penguins over here, we might actually see that in our studio right now is the one and only jennie garth. she is out with a brand-new reality show and it comes just weeks after, i guess, a pretty

well publicized split or end to her 11-year marriage. jennie's going to be here to talk about the show and the split in just a couple of minutes. >> look forward to catching up with her. then coming up a rare interview with the suburban mom who wrote that racy novel, "fifty shades of grey." a lot of people are reading this. women can't seem to put it down. we will learn more about how she came to write this naughty novel. we talk about women reading it. you know, men can read it, too. >> yeah but just curious. you read the book. >> yes. >> and there's another book and you have not been driven to read that, why? >> because i'm prude i guess. it was a little too racy for me. >> okay. >> but other people, they order it right away. get right to part two. >> okay. >> what grinds your gears? what makes you your blood boil? what burns you -- anyway. >> thank you very much. >> is it your boss? your spouse? how you handle your an remember can have a big impact on your overall health and happiness.

we're going to help you figure out your anger style, and then help you cope with it. >> before we get to that. let's go inside. natalie is standing by at the news desk. she's got a check of all the headlines. >> good morning again, matt, savannah and al. the investigation into an $823,000 las vegas conference by the general services administration is now looking into possible bribes and kickbacks. on monday, a house panel did not get to hear from the gsa figure at the center of the scandal, jeff neely, who invoked his fifth amendment rights and refused to testify. a fired agency executive and a current official are set to testify today. mitt romney has formally started his search for a running mate. the presumptive republican presidential candidate said monday he has put longtime adviser bess myers in charge of selecting and vetting potential ticket partners. a special u.s. investigator has been sent to colombia to question witnesses about the widening secret service scandal. 11 agents have been stripped of their security clearance, accused of inappropriate

behavior with prostitutes in colombia. and nbc news has learned that the agents were not part of the president's personal detail but that they did have hard copies of his schedule. at least five members of the u.s. military have also been implicated. the lawyer for defendant george zimmerman has filed papers asking the judge assigned to the trayvon martin murder case to step down. the judge has acknowledged a potential conflict of interest through her husband's connections as an attorney at a large florida law firm. if the judge does recuse herself, the case will be randomly assigned to another one. now for a look at what's trending today, our quick roundup. what has you talking on line. the virtual performance by the late tupac is an internet sensation. and now its creators are discussing a possible tour. they envision the hollow gram of shakur performing duets with the likes of eminem. online techies are breathing

new life into the persistent reports that apple is developing a mini ipad. a chinese language website is claiming the mini will hit the market later this year. and twitter is buzzing over first lady michelle obama's leggy prom pictured revealed on the ellen show on monday. >> that slit was a little high. >> yeah. >> i don't know if i'd let my kids go out with a slit that high. let's not show this to malia and sasha. >> ellen was a good sport. she joked that her own prom dress used to be a tablecloth. there is a look. we all have a picture like that in our past. it's 8:04. let's go back to al with a check of your weather. what did you wear to prom, the blue tuxedo? >> i couldn't get a date to the prom. >> ah, al. i'll be your date next time. >> okay. thank you. so i could maybe go with some tall ladies to the prom. wow. you are all tall.

what's the deal? >> it's stand tall week. >> okay, there you go. enough said. leaves me out but what the heck. they're all doing good. let's see what we've got for you. for you, savannah could do this. our pick city today, nbc 6 miami, partly sunny, warm, 84 degrees, going to be toasty. we've got a lot of rain along the gulf coast. some flood watches along the gulf coast. from texas on into louisiana. we've got some more clouds getting ready to move into the pacific northwest along the coast. showers there. cooling down here in the northeast. but plenty of sunshine. slight risk of strong storms in the southeastern atlantic states. that's what's going on around the country, here's what's happening in your neck of the woods. >> "discovery" is on its way. it's possibly off the carolina coast now. it should be arriving into the metro area around 10:00 this morning between 10:00 and 10:45. the flyover forecast, mostly sunny in the upper 60s. winds out of the northwest, gusting to around 20 miles per hour. later in the day, into the 70s. cooler tomorrow and cloudy, maybe a late-morning shower or afternoon shower with highs in the mid 60s.

sun back on thursday and friday. and back to the low and mid 70s. over the weekend, passing showers possible saturday, sunday, >> and that's your latest weather. mr. lauer? >> all right, al, thank you very much. coming up, the woman behind the "fifty shades of grey" phenomenon. we'll talk to the author of that steamy novel. but up next, jennie garth is in our studio. she's going to talk about her new reality show, and a split that made the headlines. [ male announcer ] we imagined a vehicle that could adapt to changing road conditions. one that continually monitors and corrects for wheel slip. we imagined a vehicle that can increase emergency braking power when you need it most. and we imagined it looking like nothing else on the road today. then...we built it. the 2012 glk. see your authorized mercedes-benz dealer for exceptional offers through mercedes-benz financial services. splenda® essentials™ no calorie sweetener

with b vitamins, the first and only one to help support a healthy metabolism. three smart ways to sweeten. same great taste. splenda® essentials™. requires daily sun protection. eucerin daily protection spf 15 body lotion is a long-lasting moisturizer and spf in one. it helps protect skin against everyday sun exposure. daily protection body lotion only from eucerin. gotta get that bacon!

bacon?! bacon! smokey bacon, meaty bacon, tasty bacon! bacon? ohh, la, la... oh, i say, is that bacon?! oh, good heavens! bacon! bacon! bacon! bacon! who wants a beggin' strip? meee! i'd get it myself but i don't have thumbs! yum, yum, yum, yum, yum... it's bacon!!! mmm i love you, i love bacon. i love you. i love bacon. i love you. beggin' strips! there's no time like beggin' time. and check out beggin' thick cut. i'm gonna need a bigger mouth! when i lost weight in all the right places. you know what i mean! [ laughs ] when i tried to lose weight other ways, i felt hungry all the time. on weight watchers online, i eat all day long. i loved grabbing those activity points and throwing them into my tracker. and then it adds it up for you at the end of the week so that you can earn more points for food. i never thought that way before. i lost 38 pounds with weight watchers online. i really did it. [ laughs ] [ female announcer ] join now and get one month free. hurry offer ends april 21st. weight watchers online. finally, losing weight clicks. [ jennifer ] better.

stronger. believe. happier. healthier. i believe weight watchers made me more powerful. it's time to believe again. stand up and take charge. i believe if you want to change your life, you can. ♪ believe in yourself join for free [ female announcer ] and if you join by april 21st, you can get a free month. [ jennifer ] weight watchers. believe. because it works. ♪ ♪ and i never thought i'd feel this way ♪ ♪ the way i feel about you [ male announcer ] it's time to clean out your garage for a car that's worthy of being the 2012 motor trend car of the year. the volkswagen passat. that's the power of german engineering. ♪ it must be love ♪ love, love ♪ it must be love

hershey's drops. a lot of hershey's happiness in little drops of milk chocolate. and cookies n creme. pure hershey's. back now at 8:10 with actress jennie garth. fans fell in love with her on "beverly hills, 90210." and recently she's been in the headlines for her split with her husband peter facinelli. now garth and her three daughters are entering a new chapter with a new reality show called "jennie garth, a little bit country." take a look. >> come on, guys. here we go. here we go. everybody, look at my new trend. okay. they're fighting. i really think that there's some peeing going on right now. >> there's pee right there. >> i didn't really think about it until they started tearing my house apart. a dog peeed on my couch.

that is when the reality set in. seriously? on my couch! >> jennie garth, good morning to you. we definitely see a different side of you in this. >> yes. the obsessive compulsive -- >> doesn't match up with having all those animals. we'll talk about the show in a few minutes. but of course you have this new reality show and it's coming at a time you're facing the painful reality in your own life, recently splitting from your husband. has it been hard to go through that on such a public stage? >> that is probably the hardest part about it, actually, is the timing of everything. when i started to take this show on, i wasn't headed down this road. it -- it was sort of -- it happened in the middle of filming the show. and now part of my job that i'm doing any kind of an actress is

following through and doing the press on something. so now i'm doing the press circuit for the show and doing interviews and people want to talk about it. and you know, i'm okay talking about it. but it's not -- certainly not something that i'm going out and, you know -- not something anybody really wants to talk about. >> so you moved out to the country. it wasn't for the purpose to get away. but has it had that effect? how has it helped you deal wiwith a really struggling time i'm sure. >> being in the country has allowed me a really great perspective. just some clarity. and open space, you know. >> but the show wasn't the reason for the split, i take it? >> no. no. no. the show was just something that the girls and i wanted to do, you know, to keep us busy creatively and we thought it would be fun. and so -- but the two really do not go to the at all. >> you know, you've been pretty open about the separation. i know one of the reasons is because you want to help other

women. you were with him for 17 years, married for 11. what's been the hardest part about it? did it come as a shock? >> no, you know, it was something that we were working through to the. and as anybody who's been through it, it's always, you know, kind of shocking when it ends up finally happening. but, it was, you know, sad, and you know, for our family unit. we're a really great family. and i think that we always will be. because we have three beautiful daughters together. >> and how are the girls doing? now they have this new environment, too, are they flourishing out there? >> they're doing great. you know. peter is still really involved with them. i'm, of course, really involved with them every day. and we have a great time together. >> one of the burdens of being in the public eye is that people speculate about what went wrong. or why it happened. and some people said well he's been so successful now with the "twilight" movies and maybe that

is somehow the reason of the split. anything you want to say about that? >> i enjoyed the quote that i was, i don't remember what it was exactly, but i was envious of his fame, or whatever. there was nothing like that going on. i was very happy for him, and, you know, so happy to be at home with the kids, and enjoying my early retirement, you know. i didn't want to work at that time. i just wanted to be at home, on the farm. >> on the farm is really about a lot of fun more than anything else. there are a lot of laughs on this show. i have to ask you about what happens in the first episode. where your assistant is sucking on a cow udder. please tell me how this happened. >> this is good tv. you won't want to miss it. we have a bet, she and i have this bet and she thinks that that's how you actually milk a cow and i am not lying to you when i say this, she's serious about that. so i bet her, that she has to actually suck the cow's udder so she loses the bet.

>> an image we will not get out of our minds any time soon. >> no. >> real quickly before we go. how many animals do you have? >> oh, i don't know. a lot. i'm an animal hoarder at this point. >> jennie garth. you look great. thank you so much. really appreciate it. you're going to be back to talk later to kathie lee and hoda, too. you can catch the series premiere of "jennie garth, a little bit country" this friday night on tnt. coming up, the suburban mom and author of "fifty shades of grey" opens up in a rare interview about her racy novels and their surprising success.

♪ [ male announcer ] one in six. that's how many struggle with hunger in america. ♪ but what if there was a simple way to feed those in need?

now, there is. just buy select brands at walmart's low prices during april and you help secure meals for local families. go to facebook and learn more about how you can join the fight. because hunger is a big problem and it needs a big answer. and then at 3:15 with my guilt. [ female announcer ] special k cracker chips. 27 crispy chips. 110 delicious calories. same time tomorrow? [ female announcer ] find them in the cracker aisle. ♪ what are you lookin' at? i wasn't... not looking at anything... we're not good enough for you. must be supermodels? what do you model gloves? brad, eat a snickers. why? 'cause you get a little angry when you're hungry. better? [ male announcer ] you're not you when you're hungry™. better. [ male announcer ] snickers satisfies.

we're back now at 8:19 with the woman behind the "fifty shades of grey" phenomenon. the racy novel is a hit with readers all around the world. and nbc's sister company universal pictures just won the bidding for the movie rights. this all comes as a surprise to the british author who really doesn't like to talk about it all that much. but she gave nbc's michelle kosinski a rare interview. michelle, good morning again. >> hi, matt. e.l. james is a suburban mom, former tv producer, who almost on a whim writes this erotic romance. very erotic. the story of an innocent college girl and her billionaire

boyfriend. and it just sold 2 million copies in one month. well, the author cannot believe it. >> this is my mid-life crisis. all my fantasies out there -- >> every fantasy that you've had is in this? author e.l. james' best-selling book, "fifty shades of grey," definitely gets a reaction. >> it makes you squirm in your seat. >> it definitely, for lack of a better word, gets you going. >> i couldn't stop blushing at some points. >> women who are reading it are saying they're having more sex with their husbands. >> reporter: is there anything revolutionary about this? >> no. >> then why is this causing -- >> i don't know! >> -- such a stir. you need to be in the mood to write? or a particular mood to write this type of fiction? do you need a couple of glasses of wine? >> i always need a couple of glasses of wine. for that sort of story. >> are you writing every day? >> almost, yes, i was. every day, every minute.

i had a phone and i used to write on the train. beat it in my mac and then tidy it all up. >> so you're just a woman obsessed. >> i was obsessed. i didn't do anything else. >> from the simple purchase of some lingerie to the steamy rules and limits of a dominant/submissive relationship, fifty shades is as graphic as its content is unusual. are you writing this are you thinking, oh, man, this is good, people are going to love this? >> no. not at all. here i was amazed how popular it was. i'm still amazed. i'm stunned by its popularity. >> in simple tv terms, an sabre yeah, the book's heroine, surrenders her will to her dom mant lover christian grey and finds both love and happiness. i'm trying to find the first description of him. he's very -- okay. you hate this. why is this excruciating for you? >> this is excruciating. >> this christian grey is the richest, most elusive, most

enigmatic bachelor in washington state. is that what women really want? >> i think in their fantasies, yes. in real life i think there's something very, very different. you want someone without those issues. >> why does he have to be rich and domineering? >> because that's really attractive on paper. >> is it saying that women have this secret desire to be submissive? >> possibly, yes. you know, you're in charge of your job, your house, your children, getting food on the table, doing all of this, all of the time. you'd love for someone else to just be in charge for a bit. >> shades of grey sparked a number of columnists to wonder if this is actually bad for women. fifty shades of retro grade. though not a single woman we interviewed thought so. >> what i really enjoyed was the dynamic between the characters and the way they evolved together. >> it's all about compromise. i will do this if you do that, in a way. >> the things that the main character goes through are some of the things that you wonder

yourself, but you're too afraid to ask. >> it's about openness and talking about what you want, and also talking about what you don't want. >> but i'm open in my mind. i can't say that i've done any of those things. >> steamy romance has been a staple for century. author jackie collins' work was first called nasty, filthy and disgusting. and yes, hugely successful. >> as an author you can never be worried about what people are going to think. i mean, if i'd been worried about what people are going to think i would have never written another word after my first book. >> the first, and now second and third book were inspired by the twilight saga. now this suburban mom's got a movie deal herself. and is well on her way to becoming a significant, if improbable voice, for generations of women. >> i think this is a very undisciplined kind of world and undisciplined writer. it's raw. i'm not a great writer.

>> she makes no apologies for the writing, the plot, anything, said she wrote this as a hobby. sheer fantasy. so there. matt? >> well, she's caused quite a stir. michelle kosinski in paris for us this morning. michelle, thank you very much. and now here's al. >> hey, matt, thanks so much. competition heating up on nbc's hit singing competition "the voice." quarterfinals kicked off last night. and two contestants sent packing. good morning to both of you. >> good morning. >> hi, al. >> this has been a heck of a ride for you. jesse, i should say if i want to start first, because i mean you were homeless, single dad, and now here you are, you get your act together, and you're singing on "the voice." what's this ride been like for you? >> well, it's been an incredible but enjoyable ride. you know, being here on nbc "the voice." yeah, we've had some very challenging moments, my daughter and i. but you know, i just teach her to find the positive, you know,

even in the negative, and just focus on that. and the moment of the now. and it will bring about more of the same. >> such a beautiful girl. and jordis, you're on team blake. last night you showed that emotional side. any regrets to doing that? >> not at all. i think it was really appropriate song for my journey on the show. and i think, you know what, ability to, i guess connect to a lyric is something central. i'm really proud of what i did here. >> jesse, you were on team christina and in the end christina said i had to go with the strongest team. did you talk to her afterwards and nd out why she decided to boot you? >> no. i don't know if i'll have that opportunity. i mean, i know one of the last things that i remember her saying is that she had to go with her gut. and my thing is, hey, you know, it's all about what you feel, and if she felt that, to me, it's like, it may be the end in some sense but i see it as the beginning. so i'm not mad or disappointed.

i'm just grateful for the experience that i've had thus far. >> all right. looks like a great beginning for both of you. jordis, jesse, thank you so much. more eliminations tonight at 9:00, 8:00 central right tonigh on nbc. sun-filled blue skies to start things on what will be another warm day. not quite as hot as yesterday. 7:28 on this tuesday, april 17th, i'm aaron gilchrest. a beautiful start to the day. perfect for spotting the space shuttle "discovery." tom is here with the forecast. >> here's the flyover forecast. "discovery" flying over the potomac river between 10:00, landing in dulles around 11:00. should be mostly sunny, temperatures hovering near 70 with northwest winds gusting around 20 miles per hour. then later in the day, we'll climb to the mid 70s and tomorrow, cloudy and cooler. could get a late-morning or afternoon shower. a couple of dry days after that over the weekend, looking like more showers, aaron? >> a look at the morning commute

for you right after this. stay with us.

guys. come here, come here. [ telephone ringing ] i'm calling my old dealership. [ man ] may ford. hi, yeah. do you guys have any crossovers that offer better highway fuel economy than the chevy equinox? no, sorry, sir. we don't. oh, well, that's too bad. [ man ] kyle, is that you? [ laughs ] [ man ] still here, kyle. [ male announcer ] visit your local chevy dealer today. right now, very well qualified lessees can get a 2012 equinox ls for around $229 a month. good morning, traveling along 395, northbound at gleeb, had an accident here, out of the road, but you are still seeing delays on 395, slow from the beltway crossing the 14th street bridge.

back to you. >> more news and traffic and weather in 25 minutes, it's expected to arrive in d.c.  around 10:00 this morning, the shuttle "discovery." don't forget you can catch live co

we're back now, 8:30 on a tuesday morning. the 17th day of april, 2012. we're taking a look at a big crowd that's gathered on rockefeller plaza, some women who are standing tall. >> savannah tall. >> excuse me, i've got to go with my ladies. >> outen the plaza, i'm matt lauer -- >> did you know they were going to be here? >> no!

we didn't plan it. but i think we have a connection. >> my people. >> my people! >> out on the plaza i'm matt lauer along with savannah guthrie. savannah is here while ann is taking some time off this week. we've got natalie here and al, as well. and if you are looking for a great place to go on your next vacation, conde nast traveler is out with their list of the hottest new resorts and spas and hotels. these are places that either opened this year, reopened this year or were completely renovated and some of them on the list are affordable, great suggestions coming up. >> all right. also ahead, what is your anger management style? apparently there are different ways to handle your anger. some are more healthy than others. we will tell you how to figure it out and how to come up with a new approach to handle your anger. apparently repressing and then just becoming more and more builter is not on the list. >> are you somebody who keeps it all inside? >> yeah, repress. repress it. >> i go to a certain point then i explode. >> yeah. >> i think i'm kind of like al. you kind of reach that tipping

point. >> i don't get mad often but when i get mad, it's not good. anyway, just a warning to all of you. >> remember -- >> what do you have al going on? >> well, hey, by the way, sometimes you're trying to decide what you're going to make for dinner. should you have steak, should you have seafood? why choose? why not have both? we're going to show you a great little steak and seafood dinner that you can put together pretty easily. >> all right. and after you eat that then we can talk about our most pressing diet dilemmas. coming up we're going to answer some of your most asked questions, including should you trust those calorie counters on those workout machines. >> never trust them. >> really? >> lots to get to. mr. roker, how about a check of the weather? >> all right? >> i've had it! sorry. >> i believed you had had >> i believed you! >> let's show you what's going on for today. we've got plenty of sunshine, cooling down here in the northeast. slight risk of strong storms in the southeast. more rain in the pacific northwest. plenty of sunshine through the

southwest with mild conditions, continuing today, rain along the pacific northwest coast, sunny and cool into the northeast and the great lakes. showers along the southeastern and mid-atlantic coast. sunny and warm throughout much of florida, nice, mild conditions through the central plains and down into texas, here's what's going on in your neck of the woods. good morning, tom kierein, storm center 4. sky watcher camera looking in the direction that the "discovery" will be flying in flying up potomac river here in about an hour and a half. and the weather for that is going to be beautiful. should be near 70 degrees. and winds out of the northwest gusting around 20 miles per hour. with lots of sunshine. into the 70s later in the afternoon. cloudy and cooler tomorrow. might get a passing shower, mainly midday and afternoon. and a couple of dry days after that but the weekend, looking wet wit >> savannah is talking with these people right now. she gets some tall girls. hey, don't forget, check your weather any time of the day or night. go to the weather channel on cable. weather.com online. and now let's go with the happy

guys dotcom, mr. willard scott. hey, uncle willie. >> we've got birthday buddy wishes from florida. check the list and you can see for yourself. i like this man. this is the lovely rosco cassidy from owensville, kentucky. world war ii veteran and every evening he has a little shot of bourbon. that's where they invented it, kentucky. did you know that? freda popky, wilkes-barre, pennsylvania. she's 104. loves to argue politics and cook traditional jewish food. and we have gilbert herrick, rochester, new york, 100 years old today. an excellent painter, and he just got married at 99. a lot of guys would like to. hattie goldsmith, from greenville, south carolina is 104 years old today.

the oldest member of her church. they all love her down there. love her to death. helen turner has a great name, turner, linwood, new jersey, is 105 years old today. wrote a book when she was 100. and now she's going to write a sequel. how about that? an active lady. and willie elliot, good old william is from philadelphia, pennsylvania, home of the cream cheese and liberty bell. he is a proud mail carrier for 40 years. that's it from good old captiva, island. back to new york. >> all right. see you guys at the meeting later. willard, thank you so much. coming up next, the biggest hot spots of the year. where you can go and get a really good value. conde nast list is coming up for the best spots for 2012.

"today's travel"er is brought to you by walt disney world.

don't wait. let the memory begin. >> back now at 8:37. this morning on "today's travel," the best new hotels, spas and resorts. if you're planning your summer vacation, we've got great ideas. lisa gill is senior editor for conde nast traveler here with their 2012 hot list. good to see you. >> good morning. >> not a reader's poll. this is all about editors and writers. >> right. the hot list is an editor's pick of the world's best new hotels that have opened all around the world in the past year. >> or reopened. these places could have been renovated and reopened in 2012. the u.s. does pretty well on this list. there are 12 entries. let's start with one of them. you love this hotel in scottsdale, arizona. is it called the segoro. >> this is one of the reinventions. a cluster style building, fun new design. friendly vibe. we love this place because of the burst of color in a place that has a lot of sand tones. >> and a lot of these types of resorts are located in the

middle of nowhere in the desert. you like this because it's right on the edge of old town. >> right near the shopping district, the arts district, so you can walk around and enjoy the town. $125 a night is the starting point. >> let's move on to chicago. the public in chicago getting a lot of attention. >> yeah. >> this was a top to bottom renovation. >> it was. it is the first of ian schrager's new hotels. hotel classic in the gold coast. and they've done a fabulous job in >> especially like the food here. >> we love the food. the restaurant is iconic. a lot of celebrities used to go there and still go there. it's had another reinvention, and it's all good stuff. >> as you mention right on the gold coast. let's head down to new orleans right now. in the french quarter, what did you like there? >> we love that new orleans is on the list this year. the saint is a modern twist on new orleans style. it's in the french quarter right on canal street. and we love the historic touches, gas lanterns and the

entryway but the rooms are very modern and fresh and we love that combination of fresh and historic. >> when i was looking through the information on this particular hotel, the saint, one thing jumped out at me. you describe or the writers describe it as boardleo chic. >> that's the burgundy bar which has a louis armstrong theme. we love it. you know, deep red bankettes and very cozy spaces. >> new orleans is a great town to visit any time of the year. the next property has been described as an upscale grown-up version of summer camp, located only about 2 1/2 hours from here out on montauk in long island. >> this is like summer camp for adults. it's so much stuff to do. it's a very social experience. you can do ping pong, yoga, paddle boarding. feels like summer camp. rooms are kind of rustic with cedar plank walls and it's really fun. it's a really fun place to be. >> if you are a surfer this one is just a shuttle bus ride away from the best surf break on the east coast.

or at least arguably, that's ditch plains out in montauk. >> this place is open from may to september. so it's a real summer get away. >> i was looking at some of the rates on this one. and it says $175 a night. that's not for peak season right? >> peak season is july and august and i will pay a little bit more. you can find really great deals in the months around that, may, june, and september. >> all right. let's get a little bit more exotic. the next one is a cool hotel in marrakech, morocco. >> marrakech is one of the hottest cities in the world. and ria joya is a real gem of a place. seven rooms. >> total? >> it is seven rooms total. it's in a traditional moroccan house called a riyad. and the rooms are oriented around an inner court yard. it's intimate. the attention to detail is amazing. we love the milan meets morocco. >> because there are only seven rooms my guess is it's a little more expensive? >> it's very affordable. rooms start at $228 a night. it's really great for groups.

if you rent the whole place you have the whole place to yourself. >> finally, this is the most expensive one on the list i understand. this is abu camp in botswana. >> this is a place to add to your bucket list. it's in northern botswana and situated on a 450,000 private game reserve that has the highest concentration of elephants anywhere in africa. so your experience with eleph t elephants here is really like no other place you'll ever be. lap of luxury. and it's the best thing about this place, totally solar powered so you're saving the planet. >> i went to botswana for where in the world one year. it is stunningly beautiful. what's the best time of the year to go there, because they're in their fall season right now. >> mm-hmm. they do have a anyy season. it's best to check with an agent who can book you at the right time and also the right season. but i would say probably the summer months, the fall months is really great. don't forget the price is a little pricey, $3800 for two people per night. but that includes all meals, game drive, laundry, park fees, so you get a lot of value for

your money. >> thank you very much. appreciate it. >> coming up next, how to determine your manager style, and find healthier ways to handle the stress in your life. we'll get to that. s things fun.

she can be silly, which embarrasses my sister, but i love it. sometimes she lets us pick out stuff we love, like sunnyd. she likes that it has vitamin c, b1 and 40% less sugar than most regular soda brands. my brother doesn't care about that. he just loves the taste. ♪ make today a sunny day. drink up and download. win 1 to 100 songs. find out more at sunnyd.com

how do you deal with stress and manage your anger? we all face daily pressures that can push us to the brink from problems that work to traffic, to the annoying habits of your spouse and kids. while in may's "prevention" magazine they break down the different styles of anger and psychiatrist and "today" contributor gail saltz is here with the details. >> good morning. >> guess we all need a shrink. >> well, i said during the break there were some unhealthy anger styles going on. >> all right. we'll get into that. this is a starting point. some people say, i don't get angry. i don't feel angry. is that possible? >> no. everybody experiences anger. because everybody has life. and things happen that they don't like. whether they're conscious of

their anger, aware of it, and able to utilize it in a way that resolves conflict is another story. but, if they repress it, or later as we'll discuss, are avoidance, then, in fact, they might not have it in their awareness but it's still going on and it does take a toll, both on mind and body. >> there are about four different anger management styles. we'll put them on the screen. why is it important to identify what your style is? >> because some anger management styles are truly bad for you. they're bad for your cardiovascular health. they're bad for your emotional health. and they're bad for your relationships, because they make it impossible to actually resolve conflicts in a productive way. >> let's get to our first one. this one we all reactive. this is our explosive, door slamming, voice raising, matt lauer character. >> apparently so. unbeknownst to me. that you can actually -- you feel the feeling and whatever you feel is out of your mouth, and out of your body right away. and in this sort of explosive

way. the problem with that is it's shown to correlate with cardiovascular disease, increases your blood pressure. you have all of this physiologic symptoms of anger and it takes a toll on your heart. it also takes a toll on your relationships. because the bottom line is these people are perceived as bullies, as difficult to be with, and it doesn't help you resolve a conflict. let me also say that nationally i think we have a problem with reactive types. like, you know, someone who's exploding, being a bully, and we're not getting things resolved. >> then there's the opposite end of the spectrum which is the passive aggressive approach. which i guess is a person's angry, they fact like they're not angry, but then take it out in indirect ways? >> right. like they withhold anything nice they might say or they give you the silent treatment. or they say snide comments, with a smile on their face. but they're zingers. women do this quite frequently, unfortunately. especially if they feel it's not okay to be angry in a forthright way. but the side effect is, you tend

to carry around your anger much longer. you ruminate about it, and it makes you more anxious and feel frankly more angry. >> it sounds like a bad cycle because the recipient of this behavior may not really know what you're mad about and then they get mad. >> exactly. so this breaks up relationships. i think this is a big factor in marriages, which, as you know, have a very high divorce rate. couples who treat each other in a passive aggressive way. >> now to the next people who simply walk away and forget about their anger. the avoidance. which is a terrible word. >> seems so innocent. but it isn't. because, in fact, something is actually going on, you're avoiding it, this is actually shown to correlate with cardiovascular disease, as well. so you need to 24i about it. >> because why, you're holding it in? >> and even though it's not conscious, unconsciously it is actually affecting your card cardiovascular system. it also correlates with depression. people who are avoidance tend to feel helpless, like whatever is happening to them they can't really affect it. they're stuffing it down.

and that does, you know, depression is known as anger turned inward on the self. so it does tend to make people depressed. >> but there are times when you shouldn't have an explosive reaction. i mean you want -- >> avoidance is not the same as not having an explosive reaction. there's somewhere in between, which is directive. being aware that you're angry, saying ooh, i feel angry, i'm going to think about how i want to respond to my angry feeling, you do respond, but in a thoughtful, respectful, manner that helps you resolve what -- what's going on. so you know what? savannah, i'm angry with you. let me tell you about why. >> we're describing the final category, actually, which is the direct person. >> exactly. >> so would you count to ten and then try to address it? >> if you are the reactive type then you would do just that. you would notice, ooh i'm feeling like i'm going to blow up, i want to stop, think about what's going on, and respond in a way that i thought through that i think is going to help me resolve the conflict. which is not the same as making a snide comment, walking away,

exploding, or saying you know what? you are a bad person because i'm angry with you. >> real quickly, just to be devil's advocate and don't get mad at me here gail, is there any value to having -- letting someone see your anger and that explosive reaction, a controlled reaction as opposed to the direct approach. >> no, the direct approach is the controlled reaction. yes, there's a definitely advantage to letting someone see that you're angry. you should work towards that. that should be the goal. let them see you're angry but in a controlled and thoughtful manner, not in an, i've completely lost it. they later feel guilty, too, which is not helpful effect. >> dr. gail saltz, thanks for the session. i'll write you a check right afterwards. appreciate it. coming up next we're going to put a new twist on surf and turf in "today's kitchen." [ sniffles ]

you gonna be ok, hon? yeah. [ sneezes ] [ female announcer ] jim's allergies are becoming an issue. [ sneezes ] [ female announcer ] what can he do? he can get answers at walgreens with the guidance and information he needs to help manage his allergies. like claritin. only claritin is proven to keep you as alert and focused as someone without allergies. right now, buy a 45 count claritin and get a 20 count free. find answers at walgreens. there's a way to stay well.

"today's kitchen" is brought to you by folgers. the best part of waking up is folgers in your cup. we're back at 8:52. this morning on "today's kitchen" we're spicing it up with an asian inspired surf and turf meal. chef roger's latest cookbook is everday exotic. good to see you. >> good to see you, sir. >> doing a little kind of surf and turf. >> that's the idea. but we're focusing around black beans. >> you call in your cookbook an

ingredient obedient. >> a lot of people are intimidated by ingredients. you don't know what to do with it. i'm going to teach you how to be the master of the ingredient. >> listen to me. >> fermented black beans or regular? >> it's not regular beans that you know like mexican cuisine or some french cuisine. this is actually a soybean that's been cured and fermented. sometimes with ginger but always with salt. >> how hard to find? >> you can find them in any chinatown, supermarket. in canada where i live i see it in most supermarkets now. and it's really inexpensive. so we take these beautiful fermented black beans, basically chop them down, because it's quite salty and you don't want to have a big bite of salt on one. a little bit of oil in here. toast that up and you can already smell the aroam map >> right. >> it smells kind of like soy sauce. garlic, shallots, ginger. very simple. we want nice, fine dice so it breaks down. can you stir that up for me? >> absolutely.

>> you're a pro at this. >> that smells good. >> i hear you can get busy in the kitchen. >> i can. >> the chilies. >> are these spicy? >> they're a little bit spice si. not as spicy as thai hot but they are above jalapenos, for sure. you have the sauce sauce. i'll do the white wine -- the red wine vinegar. rice wine vinegar, sorry. >> and a little sugar? >> a little bit of sugar, yeah. water. about half of that water i think will do the trick. because it's quite salty. we have fermented black beans and the soy sauce. >> then you've got -- >> got those flavors. we've got cornstarch and water. you're going to let that bubble up. now very important when using cornstarch, al, it's got to boil to activate so that it starts breaking down. >> and then we end up with something like this. >> no, that's -- >> no, no, we don't. >> no! what are you talking about? >> the key ingredient. >> okay. so this is just some shallots in

the pan with a little bit of oil. >> use whatever oil you like. i like a very neutral oil because i don't want to overtake the flavor. can you turn that down just a little bit. boiling is good, bubbling over, not so good. >> not good. >> shrimp. >> this is shrimp peeled, deveined, tails off. and we're just going to saute this to get some of the flavors. >> hopefully it cooks pretty quickly. we only got a minute left. >> we're golden, okay. a minute. that's like forever in tv land. >> yeah. you've never been on our tv. >> okay so check this out. there's some of that sauce, right? >> ooh. >> take some of the sauce. add it in to there. you see that immediately start to come together. and we don't want to kill these ingredients so we're just going to add a little bit of green onion. >> scallion. >> yes, green onions. some chopped cilantro. >> right. meantime you're grilling up a fillet? >> yes, these are six or eight ounce filets. you take those. throw it on a plate. >> uh-oh. >> we'll have to go. >> that's good.

>> top it and put it on. >> you can put it on top. >> thank you so much. still ahead, simple ways to give your home a spring face-lift. 8:56 is your time on this tuesday, april 17th, 2012. right now the shuttle "discovery" is on its way to our area. it took off this morning from the kennedy space center on its way to the udvar-hazy in sh chantilly, virginia. this is a live look at the

udvar-hazy center where the crowd is gathered to see the shuttle when it lands in dulles. you can catch a live report and an update here of the shuttle on news4 and on nbcwashington.com. it is shaping up to be a beautiful day for all viewing throughout our area. let's check in ♪ [ male announcer ] from our nation's networks... ♪ ...to our city streets...

♪ ...to skies around the world... ♪ ...northrop grumman's security solutions are invisibly at work, protecting people's lives... [ soldier ] move out! [ male announcer ] ...without their even knowing it. that's the value of performance. northrop grumman.

good morning, tom kierein, storm center 4. should be great weather for the "discovery" flyover. temperatures around 70 degrees, 10:00 to 11:00 in the morning, few clouds coming through, in the mid 70s by mid afternoon. cloudy and cooler tomorrow. could get a passing shower. and then some sun back for time on thursday and friday. but maybe more rain for the weekend. eun? >> thanks, tom, more news, weather and traffic in 25 minutes, for now, back to the "today show" a♪ er this. oh yeah, this is what a weekend getaway should feel like.

and does. if you're here that is. feel the fun. feel the hamptonality. and we're back with more of "today" on this tuesday morning. april 17th, 2012. nice crowd sticking around on a sunny morning here in new york city. actually not a cloud in the sky. it's a perfect morning. i'm matt lauer along with savannah guthrie. savannah's here while ann is taking some time off. she would normally be here anyway so i'm not sure why i brought that up. >> just reminding. >> we're also joined by al roker and tamron hall, as well. coming up we're going to talk more about pippa middleton. i mean here's this story coming out of paris where she's seen in a car with some friends. one of those friends appears to point what is a gun at a photographer. the question now, i guess, is will there be a criminal investigation? >> that is the question.

no one was harmed. no one has brought charges yet. not even clear whether that was a real gun or a fake gun so what will paris police do? we'll have the latest on the investigation. >> not a smart thing to do in a crowd. and you ever wonder when you're working on our elliptical trainer, the treadmill, whether those calorie counters are actually accurate? we're going to get the answers from joy bauer. the answer may surprise you. and is low fat peanut butter better than the real thing? you may be surprised at the answer to that. all coming up in today's s.o.s. >> then coming up, busted. jeff rossen is back with his roundup of questionable and sometimes criminal behavior all caught on camera. including a guy who apparently took out his frustration at a car dealership. never a good thing. crashing up the show room when his car was not ready on time. plus animals on the loose and a woman who narrowly escaped serious injury when an suv rammed right through the 7-eleven. i love our composure. she's like really, what

happened? >> star reflexes. >> it's going to be a lot better than that. it just didn't come out. >> that is bad. >> let's go inside. >> busted! >> let's go inside. natalie is at the news desk with a check of the headlines. natalie. >> we can work on that one a little bit. good morning, everyone. congress is putting the general services administration in the hot seat, set to grill both current and former officials on an $823,000 las vegas conference back in 2010. on monday jeff neely, the gsa official at the center of the las vegas spending scandal, used his fifth amendment rights on capitol hill. but damaging photographs posted to his wife's social media accounts have surfaced, showing him in a lavish hotel room during a scouting trip for that 2010 conference. mitt romney has formally launched -- started his search for a running mate.

the presumptive republican presidential candidate said monday he has put long time adviser beth myers in charge of vetting and selecting potential ticket partners. a special u.s. investigator has been sent to colombia to question witnesses about the widening secret service scandal. 11 agents have been stripped of their security clearance, accused of inappropriate behavior with prostitutes in colombia. and nbc news has learned that the agents were not part of the president's personal detail, but that they did have hard copies of his schedule. at least 5 members of the u.s. military have also been implicated. president obama is unveiling a plan today to increase federal supervision of oil markets. it would crack down on illegal market manipulation by speculators, which some democrats have blamed for higher gas prices. the space shuttle "discovery" took to the sky once more today with a little help from a modified jumbo jet. the two are piggybacking to washington, d.c. where nasa's oldest and most traveled shuttle

will begin its retirement as a museum piece at the smithsonian. and yet another reason this morning to make sure you get enough shuteye. a new study from boston's brigham and womens hospital shows that people who sleep fewer than five hours a night have an increased risk of developing type ii diabetes. some 70 million americans suffer from chronic sleep problems. new developments this morning after kate middleton's sister pippa was photographed with a friend who appeared to be aiming a gun at paparazzi. nbc's michelle kosinski is in paris with more. michelle, good morning. >> hi, natalie. all this controversy and buzz surrounding an acquaintance of pippa's, who was pointing what clearly appeared to be a gun on the streets of paris, has brought a barrage of reporters, some of them conflicting. just this morning a french photographer was quoted as saying he felt sure that gun was plastic, this was all just a big joke. but others quote anonymous police sources saying they are reviewing the photos and expect more information to come in.

threatening anyone with a gun, real or fake, is a crime, but at this point, police say there is no investigation. because no one has filed any formal complaint. natalie? >> all right, michelle kosinski in paris for us this morning. thank you, michelle. a stolen penguin is back where he belongs at an australian theme park with his mate. 7-year-old dirk was swiped on saturday by a group of young men who abandoned him in shark infested waters. the culprits were busted. dirk was rescued and he's now a top story on today.com. he is a cutie. five minutes past the hour. let's go up to al with a check of your weather. >> a bunch of penguins ought to take those guys and leave them in shark infested water. let's show you what we've got going on for you for today. more rain down around the gulf coast. some parts ofcoast. some parts of texas yesterday, picking up ten inches of rain. not quite so much today. we do have flood watches in effect. stretching from port arthur, texas, all the way to new orleans and everywhere in between.

keeping an eye on that. rainfall amounts anywhere from three to six inches of rain locally. but generally about two to four inches, that's what's going on around the country, here's what's going on in your neck of the woods. >> good morning, tom kierein, storm center 4. we're in the mid and upper 60s to near 70 degrees now. we'll hold steady for the rest of the morning. climb to the mid 70s by later this afternoon, clouds coming in and out. but should be great weather for "discovery's" flyover here in about an hour. tomorrow, cloudy and cooler. some passing showers are possible in the morning and during the afternoon. but mainly afternoon. highs mid 60s. some sun back on thursday, a cool start near 40 afternoon highs near 70. could get more rain over the weekend. time now for "joy's diet s.o.s." where we answer your daily diet dilemmas. our favorite "today" nutritionist joy bauer is here from the healthiest peanut butter to the accuracy of

calorie counters on workout equipment. we want to go to suzanne. she's checking in via skype from allison park, pennsylvania. good morning, suzanne. >> good morning. hi, joy and al. >> what's your question? >> hi. i've heard that almond flour is good for you because it's low on the glycemic index. however it's significantly higher in calories. so i wondered if you think it's better for you thanary whole grain now flours. and i'm gluten free so i typically use a brown rice flour blend. >> it's true that almond flour is low on the glycemic index. that means that it doesn't spike your blood sugar. that's because it's low in carbs and high in fiber. it's actually a really good gluten free option for diabetics and for people that have high blood sugar issues. but like you mentioned it's super high in calories and that's because it's basically ground almonds. and we know that almonds are super healthy like all nuts but they're also very calorie dense. i think the perfect compromise for gluten free recipes is look

at how much total flour a recipe calls for, maybe healthy muffins or pancakes and then use a third almond flour and two thirds your traditional brown rice blend or any other flour, and then you get the benefits of the almond flour but keep the calories down. >> all right. suzanne, thanks so much. >> thank you. >> now we've got glinda from rochester, michigan. good morning. >> good morning, al and joy. i've always thought that reduced fat peanut butter was a healthier choice versus regular peanut butter. but when i look at the label, i've noticed that although the fat content might be less, it has higher amounts of other items that might not be so desirable. which is the healthier choice? >> so, there's no benefit to buying reduced fat peanut butter. you really nailed it. whether it's reduced fat or traditional peanut butter, two tablespoons will give you roughly 200 calories. and the reduced fat peanut butter, when they pull out the fat, what are they doing? they're adding in extra

carbohydrates. so you're better off getting the heart healthy fat from the peanuts for those calories than just extra carbohydrates. but the only caveat is on the market now, if you're looking for a super low calorie reduced fat peanut butter they have these powdered brands. the most popular is called pb-2 and they press the oil-roasted peanuts and extract about 85% of the fat. so you take the powder and you mix it with water and it's only 45 calories per two tablespoons. >> how do they taste? >> well, that's the thing. it doesn't taste bad. but you're definitely going to have to compromise a little bit on the taste and the texture. al, the company is going to kill me. >> it's not horrible, but, you know -- >> for people that are looking for the dramatic calorie savings, it really does taste okay. but it doesn't taste like the real mccoy. >> all right. or you can just grind up a corduroy suit and try that. >> no! it doesn't taste that bad! he's lying. . >> all right. a viewer e-mail here from

virginia. she writes, how accurate are the calorie trackers on workout equipme equipment? some machines ask me my weight and age but some don't require that info. >> unfortunately, the calories are not that accurate. they can overshoot by about 20%. and it really makes sense. because to figure out how many personal calories you're burning you need your age, your height, your weight, your heartrate, your fitness level, your body composition. so the machine can't take all of that into consideration. but i still think it's a great ball park figure. it's true encouragement but you just don't want to us it as the end all. for people who want a more specific number you can invest in a heart rate monitor because that will give you a truer reading. >> do you burn more calories eating regular peanut butter or the powdered? >> we got to go. >> thanks so much. still to come, easy and affordable ways to brighten your home decor. but up next some of the wildest moments caught on tape. jeff rossen takes a look at the people and animals and things,

and places getting busted! right after these messages. ♪ alright, let's see what you came up with. ♪ [ crunching ] [ rumbling ] [ male announcer ] pop-tarts mini crisps. the frosted, crispy crunch that pops some joy into your day. ♪ [ crunching ] ♪ now in new brown sugar cinnamon. pop-tarts mini crisps. joylicious. ♪ splenda® essentials™ no calorie sweetener with b vitamins, the first and only one to help support a healthy metabolism. three smart ways to sweeten. same great taste.

splenda® essentials™. but my smile wasn't. [ female announcer ] new crest 3d white intensive professional effects whitestrips. it goes below he enamel surface to whiten as well as a five-hundred dollar professional treatment. wow, that's you? [ female announcer ] new intensive professional effects whitestrips. wow, that's you? i'm here with carol, flo, and karen for a girls night out talking about activia. i tried it and my body felt so right, for a change. and then there's you... why should i try it? my system gets out of sorts but that comes with age, right? wouldn't you like to feel great? just because we're in that over 50... what does that mean? are we done? activia helps regulate your digestive system when eaten daily. these could be our best years yet. activia ihe hangs here.e because you don't see this everyday. (child) because we read the books. (man) and watched the movies.

and now we're living it. because i can fly with harry. follow me! because now i can turn my brother back into a human being. (narrator) from unforgettable adventures, to the wizarding world of harry potter, only at universal orlando resort. ♪ i've got a little secret, too ♪ ♪ i've got a mad little crush on you ♪ [ female announcer ] it's always better when there's a little more to love. introducing our silky smooth dove chocolate bar. [ female announcer ] walgreens introduces...nice! [ woman ] i got it. where's your brother? [ dog barking ] ♪ [ telephone rings ] [ dad ] hello. [ female announcer ] quality everyday products at a way better price. [ boy ] mom? ♪ [ female announcer ] now that's nice. come in now and get $2 off your next purchase when you spend $10 on nice products.

sold only at walgreens. ♪ now to our series "busted!" a look at some of the greatest, not so great moments caught on tape. nbc's jeff rossen is here with a roundup of the wild antics of some of your neighbors. >> maybe even you. who knows. we'll get to the individual know in a second. the bottom line here is there's always a camp california rolling and chances are if you're doing something bad you're going to get busted. we like to pull all the videos together to show you all of it and what happened in the past week. >> where do you start? >> start in connecticut. this is actually a pretty good one. a woman is actually standing in

a convenience store at a 7-eleven, buying a lottery ticket of all things and watch what happens. boom. driver comes right through, literally misses her by inches. i think it's important to mention, as i said, she was buying a lottery ticket. look how close she came. she jumps up on the counter, the driver actually pulls out and leaves. turns out, he admits to being drunk in court papers. his lawyer says the driver, and that's him, just got back from two tours in iraq. >> oh. >> and made a mistake. >> wow. i like that her hood never came down. >> i know. >> her wardrobe -- >> she just jumped on the counter. >> let's move on to moss kwo and a runaway suv. we just saw one. >> there was another runaway suv. this one is in moscow. it's a doctor. he's actually a gynecologist. and you see he grabs his car and just went through the show room and started ramming into cars for three minutes straight. tamron asks why? why would he do that? well, he was there to pick up another car and they said you're going to have to wait 20 minutes and he totally freaked out.

>> didn't want to wait 20 minutes? >> they had to wrestle him to the ground and out of the car. again he spent three minutes ramming into everything he could see. we have some aftermath video to show you. and this is all the damage he did. he ended up getting busted, in that caught on camera moment and he has to pay thousands of dollars to that dealership. >> somebody's going to see you. now let's go to courtroom outburst in florida. >> this man is there for a domestic abuse hearing. you think you're going to be on your best behavior in court. but not this guy. he asked the judge can i kiss my girlfriend before you take me away? the why said no, and he flipped out, they took a bailiff and two other men trying to handcuff him to keep -- sedate him and keep him there. he ends up getting a resisting arrest charge on top of the domestic violence hearing. all because he wanted to kiss his girlfriend and the judge said no. >> moving on to a pretty determined police officer in vietnam. >> this actually happened to me in new york city on occasion.

>> not vietnam. >> this video is from vietnam. this cop wanted to write a bus a parking ticket. no big deal. the bus driver wasn't going to have it and took off with the cop standing on the bumper. keep watching. the cop doesn't get off the bumper, even as the bus moves. >> this is not real. >> this is real. and the bus got up to 30 miles per hour. >> no. >> and the cop would not let go. he wanted to write that ticket. this went on for several minutes. >> i challenge this. this is like a spoof. >> we have a challenge? mark, do we have -- is there anything in place for a tamron challenge? this actually did happen. he stayed on the bus. by the way at the end heent up writing that ticket to the bus driver. the bus did get up to 30 miles an hour. look at him staring the guy down. >> i see you because i'm in your windshield. but it's not just people. you have animals. how do you bust an animal? >> you're about to see. this is new jersey. there's a cow who escapes from a slaughter house. good for him, right? he gets out.

you can see the police were called. this truck tries to ram the cow. the cow is okay. he continues to run. they eventually tranquilize this cow and he stops. here is the best part. this is where getting busted actually pays off. because this cow was so determined, the slaughterhouse now says we're going to let him go. we're going to give him over to an animal farm. we're not going to turn him into meat. >> that's the least that they could do. >> look at that. look at the car. >> oh. >> he's okay, though. he's okay. >> he's going to an animal farm. >> now he's being pet by lots of children with colds. >> my daughter is giving him feed. >> another animal in kansas. >> i just love this picture. a cop on the side of the road sees this. look at this picture. it is a zebra standing on the side of the road. he actually escaped from a farm. >> with the cow? >> with the cow. i mean look, they're all banding to the. the animals are taking over. i thought the picture was cool. he was sent back to the farm and he was busted for kind of grazing on the side of the road. >> this is in kansas.

you're riding down the street, you look over and there's a zebra. you ask yourself, what did you have to drink that night? >> that's right. >> interesting. again most of these people who were convicted, obviously they were guilty. >> innocent until proven guilty. >> jeff rossen, thank you very much. coming up next, she lost more than 65 pounds on the biggest loser ranch and she's still dropping weight. how did she do it? we'll find out right after this. losing weight clicked for me when i lost weight in all the right places. you know what i mean! [ laughs ] when i tried to lose weight other ways, i felt hungry all the time. on weight watchers online, i eat all day long. i loved grabbing those activity points and throwing them into my tracker. and then it adds it up for you at the end of the week so that you can earn more points for food. i never thought that way before. i lost 38 pounds with weight watchers online. i really did it. [ laughs ] [ female announcer ] join now and get one month free. hurry offer ends april 21st. weight watchers online. finally, losing weight clicks.

oh, there's a prize, all right. [ male announcer ] inside every box of cheerios are those great-tasting little o's made from carefully selected oats that can help lower cholesterol. is it a superhero? kinda. ♪ with no added sugar. just one glass equals two servings of fruit. very "fruit-ritious." or try ocean spray light 50, with just 50 calories, a full serving of fruit, and no added sugar. with tasty flavors like cranberry pomegranate and cranberry concord grape, it's like a fruit stand in every bottle. [ splashing ] just, you know, demonstrating how we blend the fruits. ahem. try all our tasty ocean spray 100% and light 50 juices. at olive garden, we're as passionate about cheese as you are. so we've created three new parmesan dishes. new grilled chicken parmesan,

chicken fresh off the grill as well as grilled shrimp or grilled steak, all with a parmesan crust. passion for parmesan for a limited time only at olive garden. you... colorful... soft... and totally irresistible. your lip butter? likewise. new revlon® colorburst™ lip butter. a hydrating buttery balm for baby soft lips in 20 shiny colors.

all at 150 calories or less, there's definitely a temptations for you. unless you're one of those people who doesn't like delicious stuff. temptations. it's the first jell-o that's just for adults. [ female announcer ] introducing new nature valley protein bars. 100% natural ingredients like roasted peanuts... ♪ ...creamy peanut butter, and a rich dark chocolate flavor. plus, 10 grams of great tasting protein in every bar. so it's energy straight from nature to you. new nature valley protein bars. find them in the granola bar aisle.

let's take a minute to say hello to chris, the latest contestant to have the scales tip against her on "the biggest loser." good morning. >> good morning. >> you started off the show. you were 240 pounds we you were kicked off you were 172 pounds. amazing now. how much have you lost? and how are you keeping it going at home? >> well, i would like to have my weight be a surprise at finale. >> yes. >> so i'm going to keep that part to myself. but, doing it at home, it's just -- it's an adjustment, with four kids, and you know, everything that you have to do at home. >> and you got a great makeover. you got to meet michelle obama at the white house. what was that like? >> that was incredible. it was such a surreal experience to go to the white house. and to have my kids join me there.

stories that they can tell their grand kids. it was amazing and i love michelle obama. she's so down to earth and so genuine. >> there was a moment there, you had talked to your husband, and then you had a little bit of a relapse, i guess, bingeing. something a lot of people can relate to. what did you learn from that experience? >> well, you know, i think that was just something that i needed to go through, and i realized very quickly that those behaviors were causing me a lot of damage. and the way i felt after it, you know, after going through the presews was so much different than in the past when i would go through it. so it was a learning experience for me. and i haven't had one since. >> good for you. good for you. >> you look fabulous. >> thank you. thank you very much. >> chris pickler. "the biggest loser" airs tonight at 8:00. i'm here with karen and her bffs

and we are talking about activia. i've been eating activia and i feel great! i'm used to having irregularity. i feel like that's normal. if you are not feeling like trying this on, that's not normal. activia helps with occasional irregularity when eaten 3 times a day. feeling regular to me was a new feeling... i came to find my 'new normal' and i love it! ♪ activia and try new silky, fruity activia harvest picks. another way to enjoy activia. carol. fiber makes me sad. oh common. and how can you talk to me about fiber while you are eating a candy bar? you enjoy that. i am. [ male announcer ] fiber beyond recognition. fiber one. same as becka's science fair... another mini-wheats day coming up! ummmm...you rock. right here! [ female announcer ] kellogg's frosted mini-wheats cereal

is packed with fiber and nearly a day's worth of whole grains to help keep your kids full and focused. 9:26 on this tuesday april 17th, shaping up to be a great day to spot the space shuttle "discovery" as it's getting very close to d.c. right now. here's tom with a look at the forecast. >> it should be here in a half an hour. we've got a few decks of cloudiness coming over. that should not affect the flight at all. great weather for it, 70 degrees, with a northwest breeze around 10-20. if you're in and out out yet, try to take your position, it's going to be in half an hour we'll begin to see it approach the metro area, highs mid 70s this afternoon. tomorrow, rain and cooler.

. traveling the inner loop of the beltway, you're slow from college park to bw parkway. now over to i-66, eastbound at fairfax county parkway, delays

continue to the beltway as you're driving at about 22 miles per hour. aaron, back over to you. >> thank you, danella. we want you to know that the space shuttle "discovery" is a little bit ahead of schedule, we little bit ahead of schedule, we never in my lifetime did i think i could walk 60 miles in 3 days. if my mom can fight and beat breast cancer, i can walk 60 miles. (woman) the fund-raising was the easiest part. people were very giving. complete strangers wanting to help. i knew someday i was gonna do this walk. if i can do this, you definitely can do this. we can do this. we can all do this together. (man) register today for the... and receive $25 off your registration fee. because everyone deserves a lifetime.

♪ >> i love that song. swifter, higher, stronger, get ready to cheer, because as of tomorrow the 2012 summer olympic games in london are just 100 days away. and we are going to be ramping up the excitement, taking a look at who you'll be rooting for in july. that is tomorrow on "today." >> doesn't it make your heart race? >> it literally does. love it. >> this will be -- >> get into training, guys. >> thanks, again. >> okay, meantime just ahead, this is one of the happiest times of the year for high school teenagers as they get ready for prom and graduation. but unfortunately it's also the

time when we see a spike in the bummer of alcohol, or drug-related car crashes. and peer pressure certainly can be a big factor. coming up advice for parents on how to talk to your kids. >> all right. then also ahead, updating your home for spring and summer. does not have to really cost you a fortune. it's just about knowing what the hottest trends are like black and white, graphic patterns, animal prints. throw it all together and you've got a wow of a room. we're going to show you how to incorporate it throughout your house. >> a brighter room. >> wow, nice. >> whoo! >> fancy. >> took a little while to set it up. >> wow. >> a little extra time there. >> i like that. and a steakhouse meal you can make at home in "today's kitchen." one of new york's top chefs is going to show you how you can be satisfied with a steak salad if you choose the right cut of meat, and you know how to prepare it. >> that looks like the right cut of meat. >> all right. >> all right. >> tamron has the goose bumps.

>> over steak alone. >> chills. >> okay. let's show you for today, we've got some s the vapors. we've got some showers in the pacific northwest. cooling down in the northeast. still nice and sunny, plenty of sunshine through the southwest. slight risk of strong storms along the southeastern atlantic coast. for tomorrow, sunny and cool, new england into the northeast. rain along the southeast and mid-atlantic coastlines, few showers in the pacific southwest coast. mild conditions into the central plains and down into texas. that's what's going on around the country, here's what's hang in your next of the woods. >> beautiful morning under way. 60s now, warming into the mid 70s by mid afternoon. great weather for the shuttle flyover, which will be occurring in the next half hour. tomorrow, cloudy and cooley, a late-morning or afternoon shower. sun back on thursday, increasing clouds on friday. and then over the weekend, we could get some showers saturday, sunday and perhaps even into

monday. chance of some afternoon storms each day, hat's your latest weather. >> all right, al, thank you. up next from bold color to wild animal prints the latest home trends for spring right after this. i love cash back. with the bankamericard cash rewards credit card, we earn more cash back for the things we buy most. 1% cash back everywhere, every time. 2% on groceries. 3% on gas. automatically. no hoops to jump through. no annual fee. that's 1% back on... wow! 2% on my homemade lasagna. 3% back on [ friends ] road trip!!!!!!!!!!!! [ male announcer ] get 1-2-3 percent cash back. apply online or at a bank of america near you. ♪ apply online or at a bank of america near you. at olive garden, we're as passionate about cheese as you are. so we've created three new parmesan dishes. new grilled chicken parmesan, chicken fresh off the grill as well as grilled shrimp or grilled steak, all with a parmesan crust. passion for parmesan for a limited time only at olive garden.

hey! [ gasps ] ♪ [ backfires ] [ female announcer ] girl power to go. new citrus crystal light energy. 5 calories. because you never know. new citrus crystal light energy. the difference between my pale dry skin and glowing moisturized skin? jergens natural glow daily moisturizer. it gives you natural looking color, guaranteed. jergens is the difference between landing and making an arrival. jergens. the beautiful difference. [ fe male

pop in the drum of any machine... ♪ ...to wash any size load. it dissolves in any temperature, even cold. tide pods. pop in. stand out. breaking news, space shuttle "discovery" has arrived in the d.c. area. it left cape canaveral, the kennedy space center at 7:00 and is 30 minutes ahead of schedule in the manassas area. >> you can see it off in the

distance. we have cameras posted all across the region. as the shuttle is making its way north of manassas, at this hour. ultimately it will end up at the udvar-hazy center. the smithsonian facility out near dulles airport. this, my friends, is an historic moment for a lot of us who have never before seen this sort of operation happening as you said, this took off from florida, 7:00 this morning. >> a lot of people have been waiting in the d.c. area at the udvar-hazy center this morning. along memorial bridge, on the national mall to get a glimpse of this historic flight. this is the final journey for what is considered a veteran of nasa. with the most flights ever for a space shuttle. 39 space flights and some very significant missions for nasa's space program. >> they refer to this as the work horse of the fleet of the shuttle fleet there at nasa. and as the aircraft and i use that in the plural form, come

into view from the scene, what you're seeing is is a 747, a jumbo jet like you're used to seeing, except this one has been hollowed out so as to reduce the weight and then the shuttle "discovery" has been hooked up to the top of it, if you will. >> the really interesting thing is that this space shuttle on top of the 747 is going to fly relatively low for the washington, d.c. area so that at although of people can get a glimpse of this historic sight. and it had to do a lot of test runs, we wanted to make sure it's flying at least at a level where people can see it. but not run into any of the monuments of course. >> a couple of tall things out there. you don't want to have to run in with. we've been watching, following some of the information, some of the tweets and such that have been coming from nasa. and from the metropolitan washington airport's authority and from the smithsonian. people have really shown up in huge numbers at the different viewing location, they've had to shut down some of the entrances at the udvar-hazy center, as well as, they've had people who

have parked their cars, in parking structures and gone up to the roof so they can see the aircraft as they come into view here. we're getting a better picture of what, of what's happening right now as it's flying closer, farther north again of manassas into the region. >> let's check in with megan mcgrath, live at the udvar-hazy center this morning. good morning. >> reporter: well good morning, eun, we can't see the aircraft at this point from our vantage point. but just take a look at the crowds and all of the people who have gathered here this morning. they were supposed to open the parking lot here at the udvar-hazy center around 8:00 this morning. they had so many people who were lined up waiting to get in, that they actually changed their mind. it was starting to create a traffic problem. so they opened up the parking lot a little after 7:15 this morning. i'll tell you, just watching people filing in, there are a lot of spaces here. it did not take long for those spaces to fill up. and this parking lot is at capacity now. you can see the crowd, they've come prepared, they brought some of them breakfast, others have brought their lawn chairs.

we're seeing an awful lot of children, i think there are a lot of kids playing hooky to see this little bit of history. we're expecting to see the "discovery" on back of the 747 any time now. the camera that you're seeing in fact i might see it over the tree line now off in the distance. i believe we are seeing some aircraft coming towards us. i believe that that is what everybody has been waiting for. the shuttle "discovery" flew 39 missions into space. of course today is the final flight. it's going to be become a permanent part of the collection here at the udvar-hazy center. >> off in the distance, it's piggybacked on top of the 747, it left the kennedy space center at 7:00. making its way up to our area. we're expecting it to fly very low, right around 1500 feet. nasa really wanted to make sure and the smithsonian wanted to make sure that this was a public event. that people who have supported this program for so many years

and have watched the shuttle missions over the years, that they could be a part of this historic moment. that they would fly low enough so people could get a good look as it went by. and that's what folks are hoping for. it's off in the distance from our location. but we're expecting it to travel north here approaching dulles airport. that's where it will finally land. but before it does that, it will fly by, come a little bit closer and it will continue on to washington, d.c. and it's going to do a low flyover along the potomac river and allow people in the washington area to take a look. and then they will change routes, come back here to dulles, we're expecting it to land at about 10:40 this morning. 12k3w4r megan, thank you for that. go ahead. >> megan mentioned the 10:40 time was the original time.

but as we mentioned earlier on, it seems that nasa is saying the space shuttle is obviously ahead of schedule and we probably expect the space shuttle to be in the dulles area around 10:00, 10:15. >> the benefit of clear skies, they've been able to move a little bit faster than they intended to or thought they would have to. originally there were some concerns about possibly some cloudiness, last week some time. there were thoughts about that. this has clearly been an opportunity for them to get the shuttle here and get it here a little bit faster. nobody is complaining about that we're still able to see from this vantage point, what really is just a really cool picture to see. >> it's cool and it's no wonder why so many people have taken to families, to make it to this history viewing. whether it's at the udvar-hazy center. there have been a number of great locations throughout the area. people at the national mall, the monuments, the washington monument, the lincoln memorial, hai haines point. 14th street bridge, national

harbor, and people along the memorial bridge. i'm sure all the bridges around the d.c. area, because you're in an elevated area, you can probably get somewhat of a good view of the shuttle coming into the washington area. so get out your cameras, your camcorders and share this moment with everyone gathering around this sight. >> this is the view from our helicopter, can you see to the right side of the screen, i would assume that's a fighter jet that's now following or escorting, if you will, this aircraft into the d.c. metro area, into the city, into the district proper actually. this is to put this into some historical perspective. it was 1984 when the shuttle was delivered to nasa and started out flying missions, it was described as the workhorse of the shuttle fleet because it flew so many missions. the last one ended in march of last year.

that's when the aircraft was retired. the entire space shuttle program ended last year. you think it was a couple of years ago, they seven brated the 30th anniversary of the shuttle program, you heard so many accounts from people who were around in the '60s and '70s, who would go to cape canaveral. to stand along the fence line or on highways around it to watch the shuttles take off. and to stand in awe of the ingenuity. >> and just the history. because in terms of the mission, we kau this the veteran and the work horse of "discovery" because of the milestone journeys that "discovery" connected with. let me tell you about the fact it was the first to have a female commander. the first african-american shuttle commander was on the "discovery." it took astronaut and congressman john glenn back into space. obviously he was the first man to orbit into space over the moon. he came back after he was a congressperson to go back into space. "discovery" took him on that

journey. it was the first to make the first flights following the loss of challenger and columbia. so "discovery" with these very historic journeys into space and making its final voyage back to its retirement into the udvar-hazy center where it will be on permanent public display. >> and the last ones to be in use are also going to be put on display in museums as well. this one obviously coming to the washington area. the enter pryprise will be sent to -- new york. and then there's "atlantis," the third one that's still around. that will also be put on display in a museum. and you know, "discovery" was the first shut toll fly again after the ch"challenger" and th columbia disasters. so it also has that distinction. and then you know, it's put in

so much work. you talk about the number of miles flowing, the amount of time, number of days, 365 days spent in space. traveled some 148 million plus miles around the earth. >> and megan mentioned that nasa wanted this to be a public event because of the history nature of discovery's mission for nasa. but this just marks the beginning of a long celebration once it lands in dulles today with the welcoming of discovery and the people who have gathered there, along with nasa officials. there will be a huge welcoming celebration at the steven udvar-hazy center in chantilly, virginia where there will be a festival of space-related activities for the family. performances, appearances by space pioneers and interactive activities for families to come and learn more about the mission of "discovery" and of "atlantis" and -- >> the entire american space program.

i want to bring in tom kierein who is here with us. not only a meteorologist, but a lover of all things in the universe i guess we could say. >> space-related, yeah. this is quite a sight. and the cloud deck which we've had coming in over the last hour or so, was high enough, it's not going to cass any problems. it's up between 8,000 and 12,000 feet. so the shuttle is certainly way lower than that, around 1500 feet. so we're getting great views of it. a few breaks in the clouds, perfect for photographers. a lot of photographers out with their telephoto lens. and this is quite a sight. it looks like they're doing a little wave there. you see that? >> and we mentioned that tom, the discovery is 30 minutes ahead of schedule. i'm sure the weather played a big factor in that as well. >> they did take off right on time, right around 7:00 this morning, they had no weather issues flying up the atlantic seaboard. coming right over us there. what a great shot that is. and yes, you can see all the photographers, people with binoculars. and this is quite a sight.

it's unreal. i mean it really is. >> until you actually see this in person. we've seen 747s take off, hundreds of thousands of times and they're wonderful sights. but to see a space shuttle on the back of one is incredible. what a sight. >> and heading into our area. you'll see it on the backdrop of our national mall with the monuments and museums, so not only are you seeing this spectacular sight in front of you, but with the magnitude of what is our nation's capitol, that makes it even more incredible. >> they're below 1500 feet there. i think they made a low pass right over the runway. that's bull run mountain in the distance. now they're pulling up again. i've been told it's going to make four passes. over the district and right up the river. so if it goes by once, don't think it's not coming back. stay in place, it's going to come back around. they're going to do four passes. >> that's why they've told people there are so many great places to be able to see this. the nice thing is that you're going to be able to take your camera, as this is flying past the washington monument you can

record it for yourself to make a part of your own collection of historical moments. this is not something that everyone in the country is having the opportunity to be a part of so take advantage of the history we're able to make right now. >> let's check in with megan mcgrath live at the udvar-hazy center who has been waiting there since this morning with others who have been anticipating this big moment, megan. >> reporter: absolutely a big moment. there are days when i absolutely love my job and this is one of them. it literally flew right over top of us. it was just a terrific experience. flying very, very low, you can clearly see the shuttle piggybacking on top of that boeing 747. and of course, everyone in the crowd very excited as it made its way overhead. it was one of those once in a lifetime experiences. there are a lot of people out here very happy that they're here this morning. what brought you out here? just your thoughts as it went overhead? >> i saw "discovery" land in florida for the last time and i

wanted to see it arrive here. and i saw the "enterprise" come in in '85 to dulles, this was awesome. >> it flew so low. >> it was great. i remember watching the old shuttles land in the water. and not being able to see it. and this is history. i tried to get my husband to play hooky from fort belvoir today. but wouldn't do it. so he got a hat instead. >> it looks like a lot of people played hooky today, including you, you're of school age. your face isn't on, so you're clear here. >> actually it's vacation week for us. >> we're from massachusetts, we went down to see sts 121 launch, the return of flight for "discovery," it's exciting for us. >> reporter: did you think when it went overhead? >> unbelievable we would be right under the shuttle. when you go down for a launch you're kept pretty far back from a shuttle launch. being right underneath of it is just an incredible experience, an amazing program, it's unfortunate we have to end it

now, but hopefully the united states will keep -- >> there have been people who have been out here since early in the morning. just your thoughts on what happened here? >> my heart is still beating. >> it's amazing, i can't wait until it comes back. >> it's going to be super. >> kind of bitterwheat. this is the final flight for this. >> it's the final flight. but hopefully there will be another program for nasa. to come across. so the end of one, the beginning of another, something else, hopefully. >> we're excited to be here, we're excited to see it. >> reporter: a lot of folks here, very, very excited. from this vantage point at the udvar-hazy center, we'll get to see it twice. the folks along the popic river, depending on where you are, you may not get do see it twice. here what they're going to do is we got our initial pass by. then the shuttle is headed down along the potomac river, they're

going to circle back. because ultimately they'll land here at dulles, the timeline is a little bit off. because they're about a half-hour early. initially we were expecting the shut toll land here on top of the 747 at about 10:40. but we're expecting it to happen sooner than that here this morning. and what will happen at that point is they'll land at dulles and then the aircraft will go to a nearby hangar. and i'm told that there are about 50 trucks filled with all kinds of specialized equipment. the trucks, the engineers, that equipment standing by and what will happen, probably sometime late on wednesday is that they'll begin the process of decoupling discovery from this -- >> sounds like we're having a little audio trouble there with megan. but she was describing that what's going to happen once the shuttle arrives at dulles, once it lands at dulles, they're going to be able to obviously remove the shuttle from the top of the aircraft that it's mounted on right now and

transport it into a hangar where it will start to undergo the process of going on display. like eun mentioned earlier, it's going to be a huge festival. a ceremony to welcome the shuttle to the collection of the smithsonian. jason, if we can take the shot out. this is the shuttle it looks like flying over -- are we still out in dulles? >> apparently, the shut sl going to head towards dulles and fly back over d.c. and tom kierein mentioned it will take a loop through the d.c. area, right near the national mall. about four different times, to make sure that everyone is gathered in all the different locations. we talked about from memorial bridge to haines point to the national mall, to all the monuments and museums, that they could get a glimpse of the shuttle "discovery" on its final voyage. so you probably have a good vantage point if you're out along one of the elevated bridges or the mall. >> fairfax county government just tweeted out that the shut sl now over fairfax county.

a big county. so it could be almost anywhere. but the idea is they're going to head up to the potomac river, you'll be able to see it from national harbor. it will skirt the potomac and old town alexandria is going to be a great vantage point as well. and tracee wilkins, one of our reporters in the field did also mention that people are starting to amass on the national mall. >> that's right. >> there is great interest in washington, beyond the specta e spectacle. so many employees at nasa who have spent their entire careers in many cases working on the shuttle program and you know, seen it maybe talk off from florida, have never seen it fly over washington before. so this is quite a spectacle for them. many people employed working on the shuttle in this area. >> when the shuttle program was retired, i think a lot of those people that you're talking about at nasa treated discovery and "atlantis" and "endeavor" like their own children. watched it grow and change on the missions.

so proud to see the final moment, definitely bittersweet. and we keep talking about udvar-hazy like it's a retirement center for "discovery" for its final resting place. 39 missions and some historic trips into space. >> in 0 is our city camera view. tom, that camera is mounted -- >> it's in alexandria. there it is, there's the skyrise, the high rises there, crystal city. you're right. here it is, coming right over the potomac. there it is near alexandria now. and great shot from our city camera and there it goes. it's flying north to south this time. we thought it was going tracking south to north the first pass, it will continue around and continue to do that that's the first pass over washington and oh, the people on the mall now are getting a great view of it. beautiful sky. just a few scattered clouds up there at about 8,000 to 10,000 feet. what a graceful, graceful sight that is. magnificent. >> indeed, tom, thank you.

and you said you are here watching another shuttle -- >> i think it was "enterprise." >> when "enterprise" arrived here, the mock-up that's been at udvar-hazy since it opened. it passed over washington in the '80s. it flew around the beltway, i'll never forget seeing that live, it was exactly the same thing. piggyback on the back of a jumbo 747. look at this shot, is this from chopper 4? this looks like an airborne shot. wonderful. >> if you're joining us now, you are watching space shuttle "discovery" on its last journey from the kentdy space center here to the washington area to its final wechb place at the stephen udvar-hazy center in chantilly, virginia. but first making a pass through the washington area so the thousands who have gathered can catch a glimpse of this historic moment. >> the image you see here is from our camera on the ground at the national harbor. back in the sky, following it with chopper 4.

this is confirmation that this aircraft, "discovery," the first shuttle to officially retire and to be taken to its retirement place, has arrived in the nation's capitol. not something you get to say or see very often. that a space shuttle is pretty low to the ground. and in the nation's capital right now. people in awe in the national mall and all across the district. tracee wilkins is among them. tracee? >> reporter: here on the ground, you can see that literally, hundreds and hundreds of people have gathered here. just a little while ago, literally, like 30 seconds ago, some people started running when they saw the discovery. pig piggybacking on the plane. now it's kind ever hidden from where we are, probably over there behind the museums. so we can't really see it right now. that's just how low it's flying. but everyone is now facing the

capital and waiting for discovery to come back around the capital. that's what folks are hoping will happen so they can take more pictures and see it as it heads back towards the monument. when we first get out here literally, just about an hour and a half, maybe two hours ago. no one was out here. the crowds just started to slowly build out here. we've been talking to folks and asking what's brought you out here. why are you out here with your video cameras and your still cameras and the rest of it. they're all saying because this is end of an era and they wanted to see discovery make its flight over washington. these are folks, some of whom remember when the program first launched, when nasa first began. and are now here to watch when is the final flight of a very important part of that program. so yes, people are standing by here and waiting for an opportunity to see the shuttle come back around. it was flying very low, very slowly. for folks who have not been paying attention and don't know

that it's happening today, i'm sure that they were absolutely shocked to see the discovery riding piggyback on the back of a plane making its way into the washington's air space. flying on the back of a modified boeing 747. left kennedy space center early this morning. we were looking at about a three and a half-hour flight but it's been moving quickly because it's such a beautiful day out here. it hasn't had any problems getting on up the east coast, through virginia. and coming around this way. so we're still waiting for it to circle around. i know as soon as folks see it even on the other end of the monument grounds closer to the capitol. i now we'll probably hear a lot of yelling and cheering, because we did just a few seconds ago as it made its way past the monument. hundreds of people out here waiting for it. as soon as we see it, we will let you know so you can come back to us and get a beautiful

shot of that jet making its way over the capital. but we're still standing by and waiting, eyes to the sky. we'll be back in just a bit, back to you in the studio. >> all right, tracee, we can see from our vantage point that it looks like discovery is heading back your way. can you see it from where you are? >> not yet. but i'm hearing something. so it could be just beyond the trees from where we are. but i want to make the point that this is not something that they've done for the first time, this flyover. they actually practiced this a couple of weeks ago. we had two t-38 training jets that flew about 1500 feet over the city. making sure that the plane was going to be able to make the route safely. that there wouldn't be any issues with discovery flying through the monuments and flowing over this air space, so they have carefully constructed the route. we do have the fighter jets, the nasa jets flying along with it to make sure that they capture all of the pictures and all of this imagery and the opportunities for not only folks

to see this, but for them to also have pictures of it. to document the flyover as well. so i understand that you guys are seeing it. we're not seeing it yet. but we're still looking. >> from where we're looking, i think it might be headed back your way right now. it looks as though it's coming back over the capitol to take the lap down the mall from the capitol to the washington monument. as you mentioned, i'm assuming that people still have their eyes very much trained on the sky. trying to figure out where it's going to come from next. >> we're all looking at the capitol now and the crowd is just growing. the more we're sitting here talking, the larger the crowd is getting folks waiting for it to come had this way and folks have gathered on buildings as well i. watching them for their reactions to see if they're seeing anything. i don't see anybody waving or pointing yet. but, yeah. if it's making its way beyond

the capitol, it could be just out of our eyesight. >> this is an amazing sight right now. >> this, we could see the capitol dome in front of the shuttle as it's working its way back towards the national mall. just an awesome sight when you juxtapose the history of the united states of america in the capitol dome from so many years ago, against the more modern technology that is inherent in what we see with the shuttle program. >> as soon as the image came on the screen, you, myself, tom kierein, we all stopped and gasped a little. look at that amazing thing. right here in our studio, we can't be out there. we have rick and ryan and tanya, taking pictures with their phones of the screen to capture the moment. we might not see a sight like that again. >> now passioning over capitol hill, that's the capitol on the right and here it comes, it will be making another low pass right over the popic and right over the mall.

and tracee, you should be able to see it in a couple of seconds. >> reporter: we're on the west side of the capitol and we are on the west side of the capitol, so i cannot wait. just hearing you all talking about it getting me so excited. to see it coming our side. okay, so there we have it there it is. it is flying over, over our way now. heading toward -- the capitol here. and there's the jet scoring there. >> getting some ooh's and ah's from the crowd. >> i think a couple of people saw it before i did and started screaming. so, yeah. folks are definitely getting their pictures now. what an amazing sight. >> tracee, how far away does it look to you? does it look like a dot? how big, how low does it look like it's flying from your vantage point? >> i couldn't give an estimate. i can say when they did the plastic flyover, it was about 1500 feet above ground. it's hard to see from where we are, it's so far away from the

point where we're standing right here on the mall. but a few minutes ago, when it first passed and came through the monument, it was really close. it felt like you could reach out and touch it and it's just so amazing to me. that the plane was able to fly that low with that kind of load. but again, they practiced this, this was not their first time doing this. so they knew what could happen here. what you're seeing on the ground, folks are running toward the monument, so they can try to get better shots, so for folks who missed the picture, everybody is heading toward the monument, let's get it on this side, not wanting to wait for it to do another flyover. so folks are moving toward the monument to get more pictures. >> there will be so many of those historic shots, you have the "discovery" next to the capitol. then if you can get a shot of the "discovery" next to the washington monument. these are images we'll never see again. >> when they shoot off the fireworks on the fourth of july,

those fireworks explode at about 1200, 1100 feet. so it's probably right about at that same elevation where the fireworks go off, just to put it in some perspective. >> there's the national cathedral, there's our tower, that's the news4 tower, we'll be able to see it even in northwest washington, that's the news4 tower, that was a great shot. >> again, discovery taking a few laps, four laps total before it heads to dulles airport. at the udvar-hazy center where it will be on permanent public display as shuttle "discovery" retires after a long and successful mission for nasa. including 39 separate missions, it is the most flown space shuttle in nasa's fleet. the first to retire on top of that. >> the you think about the fact that this was the shuttle used to launch the hubble telescope.

first to go back into space after the "colombia" and "challenger" disasters. very easily nasa could have said let's put it on the back of the jet and fly it up to dulles and be done with it. but instead we're getting this shall we call it a victory lap? i don't know. but definitely -- >> a celebration. a tribute to the work that it's put in. >> all of the work that has been put into it. all the people that worked on it will the hubble space telescope, that was a whole other part of nasa, a whole team of scientists and workers that put in so many, so many years working on that and so many things -- it's got a lot of miles on it. >> 148 million miles. >> when they go it trade that thing in, they won't get much for it. >> they may have to put it in the garage and look at it every now and then. >> this looks like, we've had two passes, so and we're

supposed to have four, so this looks like pass number three. it's done a real wide graceful bank. and it does look like it's going to be coming right back down right over the mall again. and right over the potomac. and here it comes again. i'm so glad they're doing several passes. >> to give everyone an opportunity to see it from whatever vantage point. >> let's check in to tracee wilkins who is live at the national mall for us. tracee? >> reporter: i've got to tell you, eun and aaron, everyone stopped on the mall. even folks who were working when "discovery" made its pass over and just watched. now everyone is still moving toward the monument. that's where this woman was going as well. i stopped her because i had to talk to you. you were part of my sound alert, you let me know when it was in our air, because you would say, here it comes. tell me, what do you think about this, and being here? >> i'm excited. i'm a part of the smithsonian institution, an employee for 23

years. i'm a part of the wubl project for my african-american history museum. we had our ground-breaking. this is all exciting, very exciting for us. >> i'm sure you heard some of the people yelling. we have a tent that's blocking it a bit. but it is making another pass. see it there, right there by the monument to the right. you can see it coming in between the monument and this tree right in front of us. the shuttle it is making its way back here now. coming toward us, so we should see it in just a few minutes. we can hear folks yelling it's coming this way. very excited. from this direction, you can see it. flying very low from where we are right now. now we have the tent that's blocking it. but soon it will be on the other side of the tent and we'll be

able to give you a good shot of the shuttle as it makes another pass here over the mall. >> we can hear the excitement behind you. it's understandable, we do have this rare opportunity to witness history. and how fortunate we are for those who live in this area. not only do we get to see history in the making, with the final flood of discovery. we get to visit the stephen udvar-hazy center out in chantilly to visit "discovery" again. there are only three working space shuttles that will be retired and so the fact that at stephen udvar-hazy center in our back yard at dulles, we get to witness this journey, this final flight for discovery and then revisit it again, i think is a testament to the work that the folks of nasa have done here in green belt. here at dulles and all the work that they've put into this. that's why the tribute and

celebration was done for the public and fos those who have put their support behind nasa's space shuttle museum. >> and the air and space museum is the most visited museum in washington. people come from all over the world to see the history of air flight and space as well. we've got john glenn's capsule there when you come into the entrance of the air and space museum. i'm getting goose bumps even thinking about that. that is so historic. "discovery" is historic. so it deserves a place in the smithsonian museum. we're honored to have it here in washington. and what a wonderful sight to see, when you see it on the ground. they're going to have it nose to nose with "enterprise" right outside the hangar in the next couple of days. if you have a chance, take the family out there. space is so fun, kids love it, everybody loves it. it elevates your imagination, it's just a wonderful, wonderful thing for our thing, for our museum, it brings people and

tourists in from all over the world. >> discovery was named for henry hudson, when he explored the hudson river. and they were looking for a northwest passage and another explorer, who found the hawaiian islands, these are people who for us, for americans, have been, have really left a mark in what they did. and so discovery was named in their honor. and here we are now, in the present day. >> there's a great shot. the washington monument. this is from our city camera, i believe. it does look like it's passing right over downtown washington, not just over the potomac. it's flying right over downtown. so people who live in the northeast, southeast, maryland, are able to see it now. it looks like it's passing over takoma park, that park, college park, that part of maryland. there's the tower along georgia

avenue. now coming towards the mall again. looks like it's moving from the north and it's about to make pass number four. this may be the final one. >> and after that, it will head to dulles airport before being moved over to the stephen udvar-hazy center, i can't wait until tomorrow we're going to see some magnificent photographs, some artistic beautiful shots of discovery with the back drop of the nation's capital, the monuments and the capitol building. >> a lot of those already popping up on facebook. >> i shouldn't say tomorrow, it could be instantly. >> we're just getting word from folks at the smithsonian that the discovery is scheduled to land now at 10:32, at dulles airport. before it is, they begin the process of dismounting it from the 747 and moving it over to the udvar-hazy facility. you mention the fact that we've done these several passes over washington. you have to think about this

aircraft, this space shuttle, has orbited the earth, 5800 times in the course of its career. >> and it spent 365 days, a whole year in space, not all at once, but 365 days in space. we mentioned 39 flights and missions and some historic firsts for space shuttle discovery. we mentioned it was the first to have an african-american shuttle commander, first female commander. the it took senator john glenn back into space and it was the first to make the flights following the loss of "challenger" and "columbia." so the discovery getting a well-deserved salute from the hundreds and thousands of people who have gathered at all different locations from the nation's capital, in northern virginia to get a glimpse of the final voyage. >> tom was mentioning that they didn't shine this up for this

flight. they didn't take the time to try to make it look pretty. they wanted you to be able to see. they wanted us to be able to see, this puppy has worked. >> in re-entry, the bottom side of the shuttle gets incredibly hot. you can see those scorch marks on the shuttle and i hope they don't clean it up. i hope they keep it looking like that when you see it in the museum to give you an idea of what it has been through and what wonderful it's been. do you have your details and information know how many astronauts have flown on it? >> there have been 252 crew members on the space shuttle discovery. and the international space station docking 13 of those. so this space shuttle discovery has been put to work. it's called the work horse. the veteran, all of those names. we're excited that we get a chance to be part of the special day as it makes its landing in to the retirement home of the

stephen udvar-hazy center. >> megan mentioned some of the commanders of recovery are at the udvar-hazy center right now. 14 of them i think she said. so they can see their space shuttle come into retirement. >> john glenn is going to be there as well. >> let's check in with tracee wilkins who is live down on the national mall. what are you seeing? >> reporter: we're seeing that, yes, we're seeing discovery make its way right around the monument. and it's coming around the back side of it now. and there it is again. now i have just got to tell you that the reaction down here is amazing. folks are recording it and taking pictures and it's just like tom said, it's so great they're doing these flyovers over and over again. because for folks not able to get the shot the first time, they're able to get it now. it looks like this time "discovery" may be flying directly over the mall. which it hasn't done. it was going to the right of the mall. which was ging us a hard time when we were trying to get the

pictures of it. but it looks like, yeah, it's going to come straight down the mall. and what a sight. >> i'm sure a lot of federal workers have left their offices. >> anyone who can get, once you hear the buzz, if you thought okay, how big of a deal could this be, i'm going to sit this in and look out the window, you're running into your elevator, rushing out the door to try to get it on your own camera phone. >> capitol hill offices may be empty now. >> i'm betting the white house chief of staff is like okay, fine, if you need to step out for a second, don't worry about it. >> we have some photos that have popped up on twitter. we can see people have gathered on the elipse out near the fences and the white house. all up and down the mall and across the city, trying to get a little glimpse of this as it's circled around the city. >> several times, it's hard to keep track right now. originally the plan was for discovery to take about four loops around the nation's

capital. flying low enough to allow all the people who have wanted to take photographs and be a part of this last flight for discovery, to get a good picture and i think it looks like tom mentioned, you think five maybe at least? >> at this point nasa saying about 10:30 it will arrive at dulles airport and preparations to move it over to udvar-hazy, will there will be a huge celebration throughout the week to welcome "discovery" to the stephen hads haze center and to make preparations to prepare it for exhibition where it will be on permanent display in chantilly. look at that understanding image. >> this is of course, we never see planes flying over the mall because of restricted air space, all of the commercial airliners fly along the potomac. it's very rare to see a jet like this flying right over downtown washington. that's another specialty, special part of this is the

rareness of seeing something like this. and right over washington in our skies. >> to see the space shuttle piggybacking on top of a 747 on top of the low-flying route and then to see the capitol building and the washington monument right beside this aircraft, it truly is an amazing sight. no wonder people have gathered with their cameras and their children to witness this. it's really cool. >> even that sight isn't something you see very often. how often do you see throngs of people standing still on the national mall. >> all looking up or looking at some one focal point. definitely a sight to see if that perspective as well. and eventually as we've said, this is going to land. and starting on thursday, there will be a series of celebrations, events that that are to mark this retirement for "discovery" and to mark its arrival. inside the smithsonian

institute, as part of the smith ownian institute exhibits. it will be a ceremony that includes lots of people from nasa. when we go to space now, it's on board other countries' spacecrafts, so this is something that for us is going to be not something that we, that we will possibly something that we would not see again in the very near future. given that the program has ended. >> nasa saying the reason why they want to put here at udvar-hazy, it's not just so people can see the actual shuttle itself. but to really understand the journey of the space mission, to get an education of the program itself. to mark the history and the achievements of the entire space shuttle program. it will be showcased along with discovery. the space pioneers are going it make special appearances this week to discuss their appearances. there will be a huge festival, not only focusing on the history, but the retirement of

nata's space shuttle program. but there is a future for space exploration. nasa said this listen, we have plans to put a man on the moon by 2030s. a plan to build a new deep space capsule. so nasa wants to showcase the fact that the space shuttle program sending, but there's a rich future. that will be part of the celebrations at stephen udvar-hazy center this week. >> at the moment we've just got the awe aspect of this, the awesomeness. our tracee wilkins is down at the national mall, along with hundreds who are in awe of what they're seeing. >> reporter: we've been down here talking with people and watching crowds and they run toward the monument, run toward the capitol. trying to make sure they get a picture of it. judy, you were saying you were so happy it did more than one. >> we could see two full round trips from here.

it was awesome. i mean, it looked like a t-38 flying beside it, it was like an elephant and an ant. just the size of it is just awesome. >> exactly. so tell me, what was your immediate reaction as soon as you saw it? >> i started crying. everybody cheering, so excited. thousands of people out here just to see that. >> what do you think it was that brought that emotion on? that there were tears? was it the fact that this is going to be it for the nasa program. what do you think your reaction is so emotional? >> a combination of things. most of the people out here have had space shuttles in their entire lifetime. i remember the first landing on the moon. so i have been around a little bit longer than most of the people here. just being able to see something so historic. is, is wonderful. and to be here is just wonderful. >> thank you, judy, thank you for talking with us.

i was thinking the same thing that when you grow up watching the space shuttle program. when you grow up watching what nasa has been able to do on televisions and your classrooms as a kid and then as an adult, to know that this is the end of the program, it is a very emotional thing. so that's why there's so many people out here. i would venture to say, although we would need to hear from the park service, that we have definitely stretched into thousands of people who made their way out here to get shots and video of discovery as it flew over it really was just a remarkable sight. >> indeed, tracee, thanks so much for sharing those thoughts. the woman burst into tears and i'm seeing that on twitter as well. just i think from the sheer magnitude of what you're seeing and the beauty of the images, i do want to correct myself. i want to talk about the future of the space program. i think i said man on the moon, but man on mars by 20 -- >> we knew what you meant. >> by 2030, i meant a man on mars, an incredible sight to see

as discovery makes its final flight to dulles, we're watching it from the nation's capital. >> it looks like it's not going to be passing over washington any more. it looks like that was the last pass and it's on its way to dulles. >> it's scheduled to land at 10:32. the idea is that once it lands at dulles, before it's put on display, which is supposed to happen on thursday, there's a massive operation an offloading operation to get the shuttle off of the 747. they're trucking in 60 truck loads of equipment just do help get, to be able to use two cranes, they'll have to use to lift the shuttle off of the airplane and then try to move it into position. two heavy-lift cranes and a wind restraint system. they say this will be a hazardous operation because it

requires working under a suspended load. but these are highly skilled, highly trained professionals that will be a part of this. and there's the pressure of knowing the historic value of what they're working with. so every precaution will be taken here. >> we saw the images of the preparations to put "discovery" on toth top of the 747. to get it ready for the flight, the test runs, and so far it looks like everything has been on point and really delighting the crowds who have come to witness this. >> the engineering and design that goes into first developing that whole concept, okay, guys, we're going to need to fly the shuttle on the back of an airplane, can you make that happen? they had to design that and make that happen. and a modified 747, what an incredible aircraft that is. that alone, that airplane should be in a museum, too, and maybe it will, some day bau it has performed yeoman duty. over the years, flying when years they couldn't land in

florida, they had to land at edwards air force base in california and then have to shuttle it literally from california back to florida for its next flight. >> it's not done, so after it lands here, "discovery," they'll put "enterprise" on the back of the same jet and fly it to new york. they've got to move it to another now seem in new york where that's going to spend the rest of its days. this is not, that aircraft is not done. we mentioned earlier inned week that it is a 747 jumbo jet. maybe what you're seussed to flying as a passenger plane across country or whatever. but this one has been hollowed out on the inside. even the air conditioning has been taken out of this aircraft and there's you know, obviously the cockpit and the crew up front, that's pretty much it. the idea being they need to try to lighten it. so they can get both of these aircraft off the ground and into the air. somebody asked on twitter, how

do they attach the spacecraft to the airplane and then flight it? i mean the amount of wind shear and -- >> is "very carefully" the answer? >> it is arrow dynamic, when it comes in, it's not coming in under power. just gravity. that's why it's shaped the way it is, it flies on its own. they fly it coasting in. and it lands beautifully and so precisely. so it is very aerodynamic. >> and the engineering involved in that as well. the aerodynamics as it flies its way to dulles airport there. and after all the final checks and all the processes that you've mentioned, aaron, it will be at the stephen udvar-hazy center, where if you haven't been there, we always talk about the air and space museum on the national mall. it's worth taking a trip to dulles to check out the stephen udvar-hazy center, it's a huge open hangar and different aircraft and there's a space where "enterprise" used to be,

and now "discovery" will go on permanent display there. it's a huge open space where children and families can go. not only view this spacecraft, but also learn about the history of its missions, we told you about the 39 separate missions, the 39 firsts that discovery has taken on its journeys. and you'll be able to learn about the history of the entire space program over its 30 years for nasa while you're viewing this very remarkable spacecraft. there at the udvar-hazy center. and you can always do that afterward. this week will be a celebration of discovery. with pioneer, space pioneers, former commanders, all getting together to commemorate the special time and to talk about, i'm sure swap stories and to relive some really special memories. >> my favorite airplane at the udvar-hazy is the sr-71 blackbird, that's there. and you talk about looking like a futuristic spaceship. that's been around since the cold war era, since the '60s.

they've got one of the sr-71s there, a tremendously powerful airplane, meant to fly incredibly high. they've got that there along with other space-related things, they also have some russian m.i.g.s there. and they've got airplanes from calm of them apparently there at udvar-hazy center. and there it is, passing over northwest washington. right over our building. if we can take the roof off here we could see it, it's passing right over. that's the news4 tower. >> i understand people from our building who have run out to go check out discovery flying by. >> can't blame them, i'll be right back. >> i need you to sit down. we're getting close to the arrival of discovery at the udvar-hazy center. let's check in with megan mcgrath, she's been there all morning. what do you see? >> well we're all waiting for the shuttle to come back around again and of course it's going to be landing here at dulles. can you see the crowd that's

gathered here. everyone has their cameras out. we have all kinds of people who have their eyes up on the sky. now we are seeing off in the distance there, we're seeing some sort of a light. an aircraft. but i'll tell you it's a little too far away to figure out whether indeed the shuttle or not. so we'll have to wait and see. we've had people here since early this morning. just waiting, they brought breakfast, donuts and coffee. you can see all of the chairs that were here. when it did the first passover earlier this morning. the incredible excitement. there were a couple of little boys who have little models of the shuttle and they were clutching their models and saying, i see it, i see it, and all kinds of people who were snapping away those photos. and we're waiting to see the second pass-by here. and looking -- that's not it. so eyes still on the sky. that's a smaller aircraft. but a lot of people very anxious to see it again, to get another

opportunity to photograph the shuttle as it makes its waynd and kind of interesting, you all have been talking about this, a bit. earlier we were told as it made its pass, they kept sweeping their arms over this way, toward the tree ridge thing, it was going to fly in that direction. so we were expecting it to be a little bit further away from us than it was closer to the trees. but i'll tell you, they flew right over top of us. right in front, over top of the entire crowd that was assembled. just seeing how all of this has played out this morning. it makes you wonder whether they're doing that on purpose. whether they are indeed giving a great show. they did that extra pass as you guys were talking about. again to give people the chance to come out of those office buildings, to get out those cameras and to participate in what is an historic event down here. and so we've got our fingers crossed, we're hoping that they're going to come in once again low and right over top of us, because it was something to see, you saw the underbelly of

the boeing 747 and then off on to either side, you saw the wings, part of the body of discovery. and i'll tell you, it was a little banged up there on the underside. that was one of the things i noticed. that obviously this is a working shuttle that has logged a lot of miles. you can tell it from the underbelly. kind of an interesting experience to have a firsthand look at the shuttle. kind of experience it. the crowd was all oohing and ahing as it passed by. and folks are still here. we have not seen anybody leaving. they're all staying put, hoping to get a second glance here at the shuttle as it lands. now we were told 10:32, that's when it was going to land. that's about where we are right now. i am not seeing it. they did apparently take the fifth lap around the mall there. so that might be putting them off the time table just a little bit. we're expecting them to land here on the tarmac just to the

other side of the ridge of trees that's behind us here. once that happens there will be a small ceremony they're going to go to a different hangar area. there will be a small ceremony, the folks on board the plane will debark and participate in a very brief ceremony and then basically they're going to get down to business. they've got to decouple discovery from the large plane and that's no easy task. they have all kinds of special equipment and engineers who are standing by. we're told they're going to begin that work wednesday night. and they'll finish it up by thursday. because thursday is another big day here at the udvar-hazy center. that's when the discovery goes on exhibit. there's going to be a very large ceremony. we're going to see 14 of the commanders who flew the shuttle. they'll be on hand talking about their experiences. we'll be hearing from folks from nasa and there will be a lot of fanfare involved with this.

"discovery" will be replacing "enterprise." if you've been here to the museum, you've seen "enterprise." that was a prototype shuttle, used for a lot of tests and the like. but it never actually went up into orbit the way that "discovery" did. and then so what's going to happen here is that "enterprise" is being shipped off to another museum. so it will still be available to the public. but they'll replace it here at udvar-hazy and have the discovery, a shuttles that actually gone into orbit on permanent exhibit here. that's what makes this such an historic moment. nasa discontinued the shuttle program. that ended last summer. so all of these shuttles, they're decommissioned, if you will. they'll never go up into space again. and in fact the last of these remaining shuttles, once they are taken by the airplane to the various museums around the country, then that plane is actually going to be decommissioned. so once they're in place, they're going to be permanent

exhibits at the museums, so we will not -- >> all right you are watching breaking news coverage of the space shuttle discovery as it is in loudoun county at this hour. working its way towards dulles international airport where it's expected to land any minute now. >> it took off from the kennedy space center in florida at 7:00 a.m., ahead of schedule. it took five laps around the nation's capitol. flying close to the capitol building and the washington monument and it headed towards dulles airport. we believe this is on its last lap around dulles and then it is planning to land there. >> as megan talked about the demating is the term i've seen nasa use to describe removing the orbiter, the shuttle from the aircraft that it's riding on right now. and then on thursday is really when the public gets an opportunity to be really up close and personal with the discovery. there's a series of events planned at the udvar-hazy center that you can take part in, start

act 11:00 in the morning. they're bringing together several of the people, the key people who have been involved with the space program period. with discovery, megan mentioned some of the kmapders of the shuttle through the years, as well as john glenn, the former senator and astronaut. some of the other folks involved with the smithsonian and nasa as well. and they'll make sure that people, regular folks can come with your cameras and get right up beside the discovery and enterprise, which is also there right now and take your photos and be able to almost not quite, but almost touch history as it's being brought into the d.c. region. >> nasa and the smithsonian wanted people not just to view the discovery, but to also get an understanding of the history and the journey behind discovery. it is the work horse, the veteran, 39 missions, historic firsts for the space shuttle program for nasa. so those pioneers of space, those commanders who have led

the helm on discovery will be there to answer questions, there will be some interactive activities for children. to allow visitors to experience even some aspects of space flight and space sciences. this is going to be a festival, not just paying tribute by looking at it and taking pictures, but allowing people to learn about the history. getting educated and learning about the future of the space program, which nasa says there will be a future. >> we've got cameras on the ground able to capture these images from the dulles area, the airport at the udvar-hazy center. i believe we'll have a cam are on the ground as it's landing. and if you sort of see something just above, if you will, above the plane and the shuttle, short of in the background there, that's a fighter jet that is escorting discovery in, actually all around this entire flight

has been escorting the shutting around the region. and sort of a way to honor the work that it's done as eun mentioned over so many years, 28 years this shuttle has been in service. 1984 just up until last year, march, when it landed from its last trip into outer space. and it has performed beautifully as i understand it from some of my reading through all the missions that it's been out on. >> we mentioned some of the historic firsts for the space shuttle "discovery," the first to have an african-american shuttle commander. the first female shuttle commander. it also took congressman john glenn back into space after his historic orbit around the earth. and it was also the first to make the flights following the "challenger" and "colombia" tragedies. aaron, you mentioned the hubble space telescope. the number of firsts, incredible statistics, we're talking about 148 million-plus miles traveled

for discovery, 365 days in space. 5,830 orbits. 39 flights, 252 crew members. discovery has put in a lot of work. and this is a fitting tribute, a celebration of the work and the space program for nasa. >> i had the honor of meeting some of the shuttle astronauts at a couple of events. one of them mentioned to me. i said what is your lingering memory about flying in the space shuttle. he said, it is the incredible beauty of our planet. that you see from up there. the space shuttle is up there. anywhere from well up there at the space station, it's 240 miles up. the shuttle generally about 130 to 150 miles up. from that elevation, you see the curvature of the earth, you can see how thin the atmosphere is, a thin faint glow on the edge of the planet. from up there they see that and those images will stay in their

minds forever. we've all seen the wonderful pictures and photographs. you can't imagine what it would be like to see it in person. >> we get do see a little bit of what's so amazing about this program by allowing the nasa, allowing the public to view discovery flying so low to the ground in the nation's capitol with these beautiful monuments in the backdrop we saw the capital building at one point. it's really nasa's point of saying we want the public to be part of the last journey. >> the imax movies, there at the smithsonian air and space museum, those are a must if you're a span of space flight or flight in general, those eye max movies are wonderful. >> we talked about the fact that the shuttle has done so much work. >> it's going to be put on display in a smithsonian museum. those museums, their sole

purpose is to preserve and educate. so this is going to be an opportunity for that shuttle to continue doing work in educating generations, you know, our kids and the generations to come about the phenomenal ingenuity that american folks who have worked on the space program have been able to execute over and over again over the years. in making sure that we've had so many incredible discoveries and made so many advances by virtue of the work that's been done by astronauts and nasa, and these shuttles that have gone into space so many times. >> we've been hearing, if you have photos of the shuttle flying over your area, please send them to us, share them with us, email your pictures to isee@nbcwashington.com or use instagram with the # dcgram. >> we've been looking at facebook and twitter as the morning has gone on, using the

photos that people are posting, some people posted images already. from the camera's perspective literally over the top of the white house. that's the juxtaposition that you were able to get. and we're looking at a ground shot from dulles airport as crowds have gathered there. >> and these people are the ones who won the contest at the washington airport authority put out. 50 people got the front row view right there. the dulles airport view to see the history in the making. congratulations to them. i hope they brought a good camera and a video. >> it looks like it's on its final approach. >> dulles is out there. what, about 20 miles from downtown washington. there you can see some folks getting ready to watch it land. those are the emergency crews, that are all prepared in case anything happens, and we doubt

that it will. it's so well planned, but they've got them in place. >> imagine the operation, the plan beeg hind this final journey from kennedy space center, the preparations to put discovery on top of 747, make sure the flight goes smoothly. make sure the nation's capitol is ready for this. and then on the ground at dulles, all the preparations there to make sure everything goes smoothly there. from the landing to the debarking. removing discovery there. and this has been an operation at least a year in the making. we've seen this picture, sort of. whenever a shuttle has landed at the kennedy space center. we always get the imagery of the headlights coming into the runway. so that's a familiar sight for us. in this case, it's the last time that we're going to see this shuttle make the approach to any airport and it's a special treat.

a special treat for us to be able to do that in our region. >> what an honor for pilots of the 747 to make that last flight. this is the last time that they'll be flying discovery. they'll be flying enterprise on its back but that will be the end for this airplane. >> you mentioned earlier, people who have worked at nasa and the space shuttle program and worked on discovery have treated these space shuttles as their own children. we have watched the program grow and have painstakingly care for each mission and when it came back to repair it. and do watch the discovery go on to its final journey, they're feeling mixed emotions. bittersweet day, as well as sadness and excitement. >> it's sort of a pedestrian vehicle, it's more like it's the tractor-trailer of the space program that's just been delivering food and delivering satellites up there doing its yeoman duty.

and making its runs back and forth between the space station and earth. even with that ped stream duty it has a magnificence to it and a lot of work that's gone into it many living in the washington area are looking with teary eyes at their tv seeing their final flight. >> cannot minimize the "discovery" has had on the space shuttle program in its 30-year history. the last flight, the last mission for "discovery" was back in march of 2011. nasa retired the entire space shuttle program in july a few months later. nasa saying this does not mean this is the end of the space flight program. that we will have future projects. right now we're focusing on the fact that the first of the three shuttles to retire. "atlantis" and "endeavor" will be behind it. >> so many missions that were designed to take a shuttle into

space, to take things into space, to conduct experiments. to help build the international space station. to put the hubble telescope into orbit. now the next phase is to see what we can do in terms of getting you or me, maybe not us, but somebody, somebody into outer space. this has been in the planning process for a long time now. since the shuttle landed in march of 2011. and they knew, nasa knew that this was going to go from the kennedy space center in florida, up to the smithsonian, become part of the smithsonian exhibits there. and so they were able to say, all right we've got to come up with a timeline for this. we know how we're going to be able to transport the shuttle. the next question is, how do we make this something that everybody, that every american can have an opportunity it take part in and to enjoy and that, my friends is what we are seeing live right here, right now.

>> let's check in with megan mcgrath, who is live at udvar-hazy center. as the space shuttle discovery approaches dulles airport. megan, what are you seeing now? >> reporter: well we're not seeing it yet. we have a feeling it's going to be coming very, very soon here. everyone is looking off into the distance. and everyone is turning to the other side there. we may be seeing it actually way off in the distance there. coming in our general direction, we're not seeing any other air traffic in the area. they shut things down, to give a wide berth here as the shuttle makes its way through this is literally the end of the flight. the transport plane will touch down here at dulles airport of course, "discovery" is pig piggybacked atop the 747, they're touching down the runway just the other side of the ridge of trees behind us at dulles. that will be it, that will be the last time that discovery is transported. this is its permanent home here

at the udvar-hazy center. and history in the making, we will not see this sort of thing again. certainly not in this area. and i have to tell you, that we have seen quite an interesting crowd here today. a multigenerational crowd. we have talked to folks that were a part of the beginning of the movement, we're watching with great interest as we went to the moon and then others who remember the infancy of the shuttle program. spoke to one woman who actually is started a school in northern virginia in the herndon area. a science-based technical school. very inspired by the nasa program. something that they incorporate into their curriculum. well that school closed for the day today. so that all of the students and the faculty and even some of the parents could be here. they came in a large group and they are here today to be a part

of all of this. they felt it was very important to be here today. as do a lot of folks, including these ladies here. you've got your camera out. and you were here for the first flyover? >> yes, i was. >> what did you think? >> it was exciting. it was amazing to see it so close. >> it was incredible. >> were you surprised, right overhead? >> straight overhead. it was wonderful. >> reporter: we're hearing the crowd starting to talk. that's the way it happened last time. can you can start to hear the murmurs through the crowd and people start to shift around. looking for the best vantage point. i've got a tree blocking my view right now. but we are really hoping that they do what they did last time. that they come in low and close and come right over the crowd. and we get another good look as it makes its way toward that  tarmac. we can see a light off in the distance there. so it certainly is making its approach. >> we can tell thaw we're hearing now that you're about

ten miles or it's about ten miles out from where you are. at this point. so very close to landing there at dulles, we can see it from a very close perspective from our cameras that have been all over the region throughout the last hour and a half or so. >> i'm wondering awe we see it begin the process of touching down, what do we have cameras on the actual tarmac where the plane is landing now? what do we expect to see in the next couple of minutes as it touches down? >> reporter: i know it will touch down. it's my understanding we do have a camera down there on the tarmac and hopefully we'll be able to provide you with the live picture. >> and you can see that the shuttle is approaching right here it's coming right -- >> it's coming low. >> spectacular sight. it's approaching. >> we've got our fingers crossed. this is the way it approached the first time around. it kind of came over the treeline. >> we can see your camera right now, it's beautiful from where you're standing, too.

>> absolutely. we're hoping they do the same thing this time. that they come right over top of the crowd. they certainly have been accommodating these crowds. i think the folks that are flying that aircraft know exactly what this is all about and how important it is to so many people. i think they're trying to give a good show, to send discovery off with a good feeling among the crowd here and really give folks a good look at it. before it is retired. this being its final history flight. look at that. just magnificent. you can see the way that it's piggy backing on top. you can hear the crowd around me. the excitement here. just something to see. absolutely amazing. >> megan, we can hear the cheers and the screams behind you. people waiting there. >> look at that. >> look at that. >> not disappointing. you can hear them. >> not disappointing at all. and again, flying low enough so that you can really get a good

look at it. you saw the white tiles, they're not so white. there's some char on there. there's some dirt and grime on there, this is a working shutting it's logged over i think it's 140 million or 128 million miles, 148 million miles, and you can see it and how often do you get to experience something like this where you get up close and personal. now -- >> megan, we want to point out to folks that this aircraft is now above, above dulles airport, coming down towards the runways. well maybe not, they're going to keep going a little bit. >> no, it's not. >> that would be nice, i'll tell you, the crowd would love another fly by. we'll have to see how that happens. >> it looks like they're going to do another one. >> megan, i like how there was an itinerary at first, there was supposed to be four laps around the nation's capitol. one lap around dulles and then landing. but knowing that people are waiting to see, knowing the

excitement building and the emotion behind the final flight, the pilots and the crews behind this operation decided to take another lap around the nation's capitol and much to the delight of the crowds, another loop around dulles airport and i think that's a testament to the significance of this space shuttle to the public, to the program, and what a fitting tribute we're having today, it's so, so exciting to see. >> you know the pilot is going, we got enough gas, let's go around another time. >> you got to think about it from the pilot's perspective, too. they love the shuttle just as much as everybody else. they, they've been a part of this program, they've been transporting the shuttles around for a very long time. and for them this is an end of an era as well. when the shuttles are all grounded and in the museums, there's no need for the transport plane any longer, either. so it has to be a sentimental piece for the pilots as well.

yes, i think everyone here wants to make sure that this is a great day for discovery, for nasa, for the people who have been involved with this program for so long. and that's exactly what we're getting here today. whether we get another fly by or not, remains to be seen. but certainly a terrific day. >> megan, do you know, have all commercial flights been suspended until it does land there at dulles? >> we have not seen any air traffic here at dulles for a while. and that was the case the first time around when it passed by the first time around. i will say that after the first stop pass, it wasn't all that much longer until i saw a commercial flight come and land. so certainly they will be resuming commercial flights, but right now, we are not seeing anything in the sky. there was an escort plane that came in along with the shuttle as well as a chopper that was in the area. but once it's down on the ground, we're expecting things to go back to normal rather quickly. >> we want to give megan, stay with us there. we do have a camera that is on

the tarmac right now. erica gonzales was able to take, i think they put these guys on a bus and took them out to where the shuttle would be landing. erica, tell us what you're seeing and hearing from your perspective? >> they brought us out here on a bus, all of the members of the media and about 50 people from the with washington, d.c. area. these were winners, contest winners, the washington metropolitan airport authority had some type of contest and they've been 50 lucky winners. we're about two miles away from the main terminal, this is what i'm told is a de-icing area, they've pretty much given over to nasa for the day. we've saw discovery fly over us, an incredible sight, incredible feeling. lots of people here cheering saying it's very heart-pounding,

adrenaline rushing through everybody. >> we've spoken with a dcurator who tells us that "discovery" will go to the demating area, the unloading site, if you will and crews will not begin the initial process of unloading it until 8:00 tonight. the winds are going to be a big, big factor and whether or not or how quickly crews can be get started on this they are anticipating for the initial process to begin tonight at 8:00 p.m. now the actual unloading of discovery from the 747 won't be until tomorrow evening. they'll begin that work at 8:00 p.m., they'll work until 8:00 a.m. the following morning, that the doors will open again to the smithsonian for people to get in line. and only space for 8,000 people. if you want to be one of the lucky few to get out here and get a firsthand glimpse at it, you need to get here early thursday, tomorrow it's going to be close and you need time to

prepare for, for "enterprise" to exit and for "discovery" to come in. a tremendous sight. and crews are going to be working around the clock. i'm told inside the 747, we've got one pilot, a co-pilot and a crew of about five people. now the crews that are going to be unloading "discovery" is about 40 people on one end and about 20 others that are going to be working and operating two cranes in order to get "discovery" off of that 747. >> erica gonzales, thank you for the explanation of what we'll be seeing in the next couple of minutes as the process begins to wrap up here. they were about a half an hour, just about a half an hour ahead of schedule in terms of getting discovery into the region. and they've now gone a little bit longer than what they expected to be going. >> i think because the plan was, "discovery" left kennedy space center at 7:00 this morning, heading up toward us. it was supposed to take four

laps around the nation's capitol and then head toward dulles, i think understanding the excitement and the historic nature of the final flight, so many people gathered to see a glimpse and take a photo get some video, it took another lap around the nation's capitol, making those beautiful images with the capitol and the monument. then headed to dulles and much to the delight of the crowds who gathered there, did another lap around dulles. so that obviously added some time. a little bit behind the expected 10:40 landing. at first we said 10:40, then back to 10:32 and now we're close to 11:00, still waiting for a landing. >> almost sort of posing for us now, a lot of people trying to get pictures, capture video and pictures of this. something thaw didn't have as much of 30 years ago. now an opportunity here to be a part of the ending. as you mentioned, of discovery's

missions. and of the space program in terms of the work. >> i wonder when it's on final display, you see the pointy tail on "discovery," that's an arrow aerodynamic piece that they add, when it's on the flight. they'll remove it so you can see the engines. they add it on the back for these flights. >> we were talking about the incredible preparations at kennedy space center to prepare "discovery" for its final flight. that's one of the things they had to consider beyond just piggy-backing it on the back of the 747, but the preparations to make sure all the preparations were made here in the nation's capitol. did a couple of test runs. they wanted to have it fly low enough. >> you can't fly it too low. you can't fly too low. and why it has a fighter jet

escort. not only in tribute to make sure it's going according to plan and so far it's been a spectacular journey this morning. >> they're taking their time. they're making another pass. they may not land for another couple of hours the way this is going. >> our producers are telling us that we're being told that this is sort of the wrapping up here. they could be landing here in the next couple of minutes. it seems. it's interesting to think about all of the advances that have come out of the space program. the technology that's been designed for the space program and pushed down to the rest of us to be able to better our lives. as we talk about what's happening on facebook and twitter and the social networking and the fact that people take a photo and dispatch it to the rest of the world in a matter of seconds. as a matter of fact that type of technology is born from the space program and the wrk that shuttles like discovery have done. so many messages popping up on twitter. this is trending, this is the only thing that's treading right

now on twitter. >> and especially in our area. we talk about space shuttle "discovery" as the veteran space shuttle. the work horse. >> mentioning it's like a cargo tractor-trailer. going back and forth, delivering things. also had some significant milestones in the space shuttle program. we have a five-minute warning. it's five minutes before we expected to see the landing of the space shuttle "discovery." >> it took congressman john glenn back into space after his orbit around the earth. it was the first to fly after the tragedies of "colombia" and "challenger." it contributed significant milestones. it was retired in july of 2011