in washington, emily schmidt. 9news now. >> we have a note that kristin fisher comes from a family of astronauts. she is heading for florida and her live reports will get started thursday at 5:00 p.m. >>> nasa is counting on commercial companies to start bidding on contracts to serve as the international space station and that will also open the door for well, just about any of us who has the money to get into space. >> we want to make space accessible to everyone. i mean that's a revolutionary change, but it's incredibly exciting and it brings space the possibility of space travel to all americans, which is fantastic. >> people used to say look, it would be impossible to build your own spaceship and your own spaceship company and take people to space. and you know, that's the kind of challenge i love to prove them wrong. >> british businessman says his company is hoping to take tourists into space in the next 18 months. he is one of three companies trying to make space travel as routine as boarding an airplane. probably won't be as cheap, though. so far, in word on what it will cost

emily schmidt explains why. >> kennedy space center is marking time and making history with its final countdown of nasa's space shuttle program. >> we're delighted to be here after a very arduous nine-month training flow, we're glad to be here in florida for launch. >> friday, the four member atlantis crew plans liftoff for 12 days in space, the last of 135 space shuttle missions. so far, nasa says all is a ago. >> all of our prep rations for launch countdown have been completed and we're working no issues at this time. >> but florida skies can be fickle and nasa said today there may be a weather-induced problem that would force a weekend launch. >> our primary concern for launch would be showers and thunderstorms developing along the sea breeze as it forms on friday and with that, we have a 60% chance of weather. >> the crew will take equipment to the international space station including for the first time, an iphone to help with experiments. social media is coming into play, too. >> it is an honor to be able to go there. >> brent danley is one of 150 twitter users nasa randomly sel

let's go live to emily schmidt who has been following the trial. >> reporter: good afternoon. less than an hour ago, casey anthony, when she heard the verdict, she broke into tears. their decision, not guilty on the most serious charges of killing her daughter. when day two of jury deliberations in the casey anthony trial got underway in orlando, an anxious casey anthony arrived to court learning this was the day she could learn her fate and it was. >> a jury of your peers have found you not guilty as to the charge contained of count one of the indictment, murder in the first degree. >> reporter: deliberations took jut over ten hours. for the men and women of the jury, it was literally a life or death situation, with the first-degree murder conviction punishable by the death penalty. prosecutors portrayed casey anthony as a selfish party girl who wanted to be treed from the burdens of raising her -- freed from the burdens of raiseing her child. >> she took her child, took her life and put her in the trunk and forgot about her. >> reporter: the defense hammered at the evidence

in washington, emily schmidt. >> anthony faces a year in prison on each count of lying to investigators where she was found guilty. however, she has been in gale for nearly three years already so there is a possibility she may not serve any additional time at all. >>> it was another hot day around the bay area, especially in our inland valleys where temperatures neared the triple digits, closer to the coast line, temperatures a lot cooler. that fog stuck to the coast this afternoon. a look at the difference over the past 24 hours. temperatures have warmed. oakland, 10 degrees warmer, 12 degrees warmer in heyward and several degrees warmer in other parts of the bay area. that trend is not going to last. tomorrow, a cooling trend will continue. very briefly the fog moves back to the coast by noon. we'll see sunny skies throughout the bay area but partly cloudy skies down in the south bay with a chance of thunder and also cooler temperatures, not only in the south bay but everywhere in the base area. we'll talk about that threat of thunderstorms and the cooler temperatures c >>> three bay

emily schmidt with more. >> this could turn out to be a day unlike any other here in washington. this is an unwilling participant. >> i go home and pass out. >> it could be a record high. by noon, it felt like 111 degrees. by that point, he and the rest of his crew had spent six hours working in the sun. not needing a thermometer to know how hoit was. >> i don't want to look into it. i got enough with the heat. >> over in tulsa, oklahoma, it's so dry, there are cracks in people's foundations. dried out earth. >> i don't know what to do. i mean do i put a hose on? >> the heat has already proven dangerous across the country. it could be blamed for as many as two dozen deaths. and back in washington, even the debt debate took on a tink of weather forecasting. >> it's 100 and some degrees outside. i can understand people getting worked up about all of this sort of thing. but the future of america is at stake. >> cooler temperatures, cooler heads could still be days away, leaving people to find relief where they can. a minneapolis movie theater marquis said we have ac. who cares what'

. >> emily schmidt in washington, d.c. with the lock out.e getting word that the players and owners have reached an agreement, we will stay on top of this story. >>> blake kepley with a passenger on a holland america ship on a seven day cruise in alaska. on friday, a crew member reported that kepley was missing and had possibly gone overboard. all weekend the u.s. coast guard used helicopters and boats to try to locate the 17- year-old from san diego county but there was never any sign of him. >>> more than 1,000 firefighters have been fighting a grass fire in san diego county. this fire started thursday on the los coyotes indian reservation. it is now reached the neighboring ansa borego state park. this fire is about 40% contained this morning. so far no one has been hurt, no buildings have burned, we still have no idea on how this fire began. >>> the happiest place in anaheim may not be disneyland today but a 7/11 just two miles away. that's where someone bought a super lotto ticket with all the winning numbers for last saturday's $61 mill

emily schmidt is joining us right now. you have an agreement. >> reporter: they say play time is over or about to begin. according to nfl.com 3:00 a.m. in the morning is when there was finally a deal wrapped up. this was now 6.5 hours ago eastern time. what we are hearing is it is basically just a formality now to get everything approved. it brings us back to what we were talking about. we have a 13 member committee of players meeting. if both groups give their okay, the lock out will most likely be over, pam. >> that's good news, we'll look for that. and then what happens next? when do you think we'll see players out in the training camp? >> the ball would start rolling very quickly. training camps could open as soon as wednesday and then continue on through the weekend depending upon which team. you would have free agency, signings could signings would be able to begin. regular season just the way fans had hoped it would be on the schedule. a couple more hurdles to clear but the nfl is saying it is ready to go. all just

emily schmidt has more. >> reporter: hi, maureen.is really the center of the universe -- washington is relit center of the universe right now because of situations going on. we have a 13-player committee taking a look at the deal reached at the wee hours of the morning, 3:00 a.m. the nfl says it's all but a done deal. the home page says "owners/players agree to a new de. play time is over or about to begin." i want to show he you some -- show you some video that just came in. the players, owners and those involved in the negotiations that are in washington to look over that deal that was formalized overnight. also scheduled today probably within the next hour or so will be a teleconference we know they will be looking at this deal. if both sets of these groups approve it, we are looking at the lockout being over. there have been so many sticking points. medical plans, protective insurance coverage, workers's compensation. all of these things have apparently been worked out because the deal is just a formality now it needs the vote. >