christ kristen dahlgren has our report. >> reporter: sunshine may not be in the forecast as the shuttle s ie erth fa is there a forecaf thunder showers. >> reporter: even as astronauts wait to see what the weather will do this evening, they had an interesting day. >> fake for the burn. >> reporter: starting with a maneuver to outrun space junk. a small piece of debris getting a little too close for comfort. >> it's believed this debris came from the shuttle station complex during last saturday's space walk. >> reporter: so around midday "discovery" fired its thrusters to keep the shuttle clear from theri dris. d hopefully wh to what has beenat a successful mission. over 13 days astronauts delivered science equipment and a new treadmill to the international space station. they dropped off nicole stott who joined the iss crew and are

kristen dahlgren h our y he a t detailed look at far-flunk galaxy. our sharpest view of star clusters and this butterfly nebula. they show the birth of stars billions of light years away. but what may be most astonishing is that we have the pictures at all. they are the work of the new improved hubble space telescope, nasa's comeback kid. hubble is back in action. the new pictures, new evidence that last may's servicing mission to the iconic space telescope worked perfectly. >> thank gode didn't break it. >> reporter: today, astronauts joked, but it was the most complex space repair ever. the mission once almost scrapped for good because it was so dangerous. its five complicated space walks have plenty of curableserve bal including a bolt that didn't want to budge. >> two guys fixed a stuck bolt. >> reporter: new pictures are just a beginning for the 19-year-old telescope, now expected to live another ten years.y looking back into the universe's past and building toward a future that may find life on other planets. >> in this century, we are going to

a 60-day public comment period on the issue sunday way now, and kristen dahlgren has that story. >> reporterparated by a distinct line, but in the past week big industry and environmentalists have been sharing a lane, both applauding the president's proposal for new fuel economy standards. >> a new national standard aimed at both increasing gas mileage and decreasing greenhouse gas pollution for all cars and trucks sold in america. >> reporter: under the plan, automakers must increase average fuel economy ratings to 35.5 miles per gallon by 2016. that's four years sooner than under the current law and eight miles per gallon better than current fuel averages. >> the new standards are aggressive and achievable and ensure that consumers have a full range of vehicle choices. >> reporter: while for american automakers it could mean more car sales, a way to be competitive in a growing market. >> an action long overdue. >> reporter: but critics worry that the plan could be confusing in practice. some have been battling california's regulation of tailpipe emissions for years, and some say greener on

kristen dahlgren has our report. >> it was this morning's wake-up call. sunshine may not be in the forecast as the shuttle tries to come home. >> there is forecast chance o a thunder showers within 30 nautical miles. >> reporter: even as astronauts wait to see what the weather will do, they had an interesting day. starting with a maneuver to outrun some space junk. a small piece of debris getting a little too close for comfort. >> it's believed this came from the shuttle station complex during last saturday's space walk. >> reporter: around midday, "discovery" fired its thrusters to keep the shuttle clear from the mystery debris. edgar burn. eporter:hopefully the last hiccup to what has been a successful mission. over 13 days astronauts delivered science equipment and a new treadmill to the international space station. they dropped off nicole stott who joined the iss crew and are bring home tim kopra who has been living in space. they got another veteran onboard, buzz lightyear is heading home after more than a year in orbit as part of an educational prog

back to you. >> kristen dahlgren reporting from florida. thank you. >>> stocks ended a winning streak today. after five days of gains, the market at its highest level in more than a year. the dow dropped 22 points today. the nasdaq lost three points. s&p dropped one point. contributing to the losses today was falling oil prices, which hurt energy stocks. the dow now sits at 9605. that is the exact same lev the dow has reached eight years ago on the day before the 9/11 attacks. >> coming up on news4 at 6:00, police are investigating after a d.c. detective apparently committed suicide. he recently had been questioned about his alleged association with a murder suspect. >>> an explosion at a warehouse in capitol heights. >> anti-abortion activist was gunned down outside a high school today. >> new developments in the case of a man who threw his shoes at president bush. >> dan, what's in spts? >> we are talking m.j., the greatest player of all time assumes his throne. an interception of "titanic" proportions you have to see. skins can't wait to

kristen dahlgren, nbc news. >>> the vaccine will be shipped to the u.s. and distributed to the recommended population. last week centers for disease ntrol said it's likely one dose of the vaccine will be enough to protect from the virus. >>> coming up tonit, there is some evidence the housing market is rebounding across the d.c. area. >> some changes to security at dulles airport. >> and bob has our forecast coming u >>> bob is back. you picked a spectacular day to return. >> sunshine, a few sprinkles and weather to talk about. >> that's why we need you. >> welcome back, too. >> thank you. >> outside today we had a lot of clouds. after the morning sunshine, our temperature, a high temperature. tomorrow is quite a day our high temperature today made it up into the the 80s. tomorrow's high temrature is 79 degrees. today's high temperature, 80 degrees. so for you folks that love the hot weather, time to say good-bye to that. not until next may 30th does our average high reach 80 degrees. outside right now, we've got clouds. light showers around. no thunder s

kristen dahlgren has the latest. >> i am pleased to appoint him as the interim united states senator from massachusetts. >> it is in name familiar in political circles former democratic party chairman and head of the jfk library foundation will now be known as senator, albeit only a temporary place feller in the seat. >> consistent with senator kennedy's wishes and expectations from the governor and legislators, i shall not be a candidate in the special election for the united states senate. >> the decision to make any appointment was controversial. it was just this week when lawmakers give the massachusetts governor appointment power. some gop lawmakers are lashing out. >>patrick called it too crucialf a time to leave the senate seat empty, but it may also be about health care reform. it gives president obama back his critical 68 senate vote and today praised the senate appointment. >> mr. chairman, it is courteous if you do not interrupt someone in the middle of a sentence. >> an issue that senator ted kennedy fought for as it became closer and closer to a vote. >> kennedy's son an

kristen dahlgren has thelatest. >> reporter: there are two sides usually separated by a distinct line, but in the past week, big industry and environmentalists have been sharing a lane. both applauding the president proposal for new fuel economy standards. >> a new national standard aimed to both increase gas mileage and decreasing greenhouse gas pollution for all cars and trucks sold in america. >> reporter: under the plan automakers must increase average fuel economy rating to 35.5 miles per gallon by 2016. that's four years sooner than under the current law. and 8 miles per gallon better than current standards. >> the new standards are aggressive and achievable and ensure that consume verse a full range of choices. >> while for american automakers it could mean more car sales, a way to be competitive in the global market. >> it creates an even playing field, it's an action that is long overdue. >> reporter: but critics worry the plan could be confusing in practice. some have been battling california's regulation of tail pipe emissions for years. and some say greener on the roads is

kristen dahlgren has the latest. >> reporter: the flu is spreading quick through classrooms. the vaccine is still a month away. >> it's going to be a busy and long season. we need to be prepared for the next several months and also the spring. >> reporter: the good news is the strain doesn't seem to have changed since last spring, but the cdc says it is spreading fast, starting in the southeast. this vacant dorm at emory university houses infected students while clear across the country at washington state university more than 2000 may have been infected. >> you have to be a little concerned. what can you do? they have to go to school. >> reporter: experts say there are things you can do. >> frequent washing of hands, avoiding shaking hands with people who are sick, covering your mouth when you sneeze and cough. >> reporter: seeking medical treatment is also imrtant. but the cdc isew nng o new guidelines for the use of antivirals like tamiflu, limiting them to people at high risk. >> most children, adolescent and adults with influenza like illness don't need antiviral medicin