the survey shows the public overestimates nasa's budget. i was astounded the other day when i read a congressional quarterly which wrote that nasa's budget has suffered at around 1% of the budget since 1970. nasa's budget represents less than one-half of 1% of the budget. finally, the discussion of nasa budget contributions must include which nation will be the first among nations to lead peaceful robotic operations in the solar system. it is not a foregone conclusion that the united states will remain the preeminent space nation. we will reap the benefits of leading the march to progress. i am gratified this hearing is being held. in closing, i am proud that our nation continues. my mother and father's generation took on the responsibility of leading the world as a great nation. the ascent of the leadership and responsibility, but when you assume that responsibility, a lot goes with it. to me, the space program as part of that responsibility. we need to put beacons in these types of the international space station can be seen with the nake

of nasa's report. and i'll just quote from that appendix where, as you have said, that they have said that, in this particular case they use falcon nine as the example of a commercial rocket being developed 400 million. and i quote, thus, the predicted cost to develop falcon nine done by nasa would have been between 1.7 million, and for $.0 billion, and, of course. and they go on to say spacex has publicly indicated that the development costs for falcon nines launch vehicle was approximately 300 million, additionally approximate 90 million was spent developing falcon one launch vehicle and so forth, which brings it up to the total that you are talking about of 400 million. now, if this bears out that it isn't that much difference, then it certainly corroborates the flexible path and the philosophy of the authorization bill, and so to esther pullum and mr. slater, i would like you all to comment, where as it appears in the past that we have seen a decline in american competitiveness in the commercial ma

at the future of nasa after the space shuttle program. at the pentagon today, defense secretary robert gates said there was no evidence that senior pakistani leaders knew that osama bin laden was in pakistan. other issues are the defense department spending review. he was joined by admiral mike mullen. this is about 30 minutes. >> on april 13, president obama announced his framework for tackling the long-term fiscal challenges. as part of that reduction effort, set a goal of holding the growth and based national security spending below inflation for the next 12 years, which would save about $400 billion. the president also made clear that before making any specific budget decisions, we must first conduct a fundamental review of america's military missions, capabilities, and security role around the world. today, announcing the framework for the comprehensive review that the department of defense is launching, to inform future decisions about spending on national security. first, some context. for more than two years, the leadership of thi

they should fill in behind nasa while nasa goes out into the solar system. the committee's report noted that problems for confronting nasa is that it seemingly can have either the budget to develop a new human spaceflight architecture or can have the budget for ongoing astronaut operations, but not both. nasa has to stop flying. this is the altman reason for the upcoming gap. indeed, nasa has plans to stop flying the shuttle. the nasa authorization act of 2010 declared that the long-term goal of the human spaceflight and exploration efforts of nasa shall be to expand permanent human presence beyond low earth orbit. this is consistent with our committees framer. an important objective ought identified by the authorization act is to sustain the capability for long lower corporate and to expand a commercial excrescence as elements of low earth orbit infrastructure. there will always be arguments over absolute levels of funding, but with increasing commercial opportunities, it is our best opportunity of bringing costs down. beyond leo, the 2010 authorization act

now nasa will retool.s to go where the space shuttle was built to go: onward and upward. >> and lift-off for the final launch of endeavor. expanding our knowledge. expanding our lives in space. >> osgood: ahead, little roady living large. host: could switching to geico really save you 15% or more on car insurance? host: would foghorn leghorn make a really bad book narrator? foghorn (stammering): it was the best of times, it was the wor - i say worst of times. and by worst i'm talkin' as bad, i say, as bad as my aunt ginny's corn puddin'. that stuff'll sink you like a stone. engineer: ok that was a little... foghorn: you gettin' all this in there son? i just added that last part it's called "adlibbin..."anyway...it was, i say it was... vo: geico. 15 minutes could save you 15% or more on car insurance. [ beep ] [ male announcer ] find an italian masterpiece in your grocer's freezer. buitoni shrimp and lobster ravioli with garlic butter sauce. simple ingredients, artfully prepared. create an italian masterpie

nasa does. every year they put out a book of spinoffs and you think about this book being put out for several decades just how many of those technologies that have spun off have added up. not only g.p.s., but look for the data, look at the data for noaa. what that's done. for weather and prediction of storms, look at the nasa satellites that complement the earth based observations. not only weather but climate change, the space assets have changed the way we defend this nation. and they've been integrated into nearly every aspect of the u.s. military. as well as the intelligence operations. that now we see the fruits of in plend -- blending the intelligence community with a surgical military operation. and these benefits along with the numerous spinoffs and the efficiencies gained through the application of space technology has provided this nation with a significant return on investment. now, we've gathered up some high powered folks here to talk about the importance of space activities and the

. >>> endeavour wraps up nasa's next to last flight.endeavour" and the six-man crew undocked from the space station for the last time last night. "endeavour" will arrive back on earth early wednesday morning at which time the vehicle will be retired to a museum in california. >>> in texas, surveillance video shows a dramatic start to the weekend as an austin city bus plowed into a veeps store. an onboard camera shows the bus as it appears to run the red light and swerve out of control after a car smashes to the driver's side knocking the driver to the floor. both drivers were take up to the hospital and treated for minor injuries. >>> in michigan, a fast-moving storm blew through battle creek yesterday uprooting trees and tearing the roof off of one building residents are waiting to hear whether the storm that left the city without power was packing tornado force winds. >>> helicopters and u.s. marines in full battle gear put on a demonstration this memorial day weekend. people got a chance to handle weapons, try on body armor, and even

now, the hubble is a product of nasa. so you must have high regard for nasa? is that deminished in any way? >> all of us scientists are enormously grateful for the government of the united states and to nasa in particular. but we are very worried that this new focus on putting people back on the moon is robbing the current scientific enterprise of very much-needed resources. in the hopes we'll be able to do something in 10-20 years we have already done. namely put people on the moon. we really have major projects that we would like to do now that are being postponed in many cases indefiniteliy because of this new focus on the moon. >> what do you have in mind? >> one of the major projects is to lis for gravity waves either from colliding enormous black holes at the centers of galaxies or even from the big bang itself. that's a space project that we love to see go forward rapidly. there are a number of other projects that along with that one our group is beyond einstein. they are trying to take us beyond what we already know and see if there are any flaws in re

we're serious about relying on them to provide access. >> reporter: already nasa has provided $318 ineed money for the private sector to develop a modern alternative to the aging space shuttle fleet. by turning the job over to private companies, nasa is hoping to focus on the next frontier, developing the rockets to take astronauts to moving asteroids and maybe even mars. meanwhile, tourists could be hitching a ride to space in just 18 months. virgin galactic plans to charge $200,000 round trip. ceo richard branson says business will prove that space travel can be done more safely and cheaply. >> now you'll have a number of us who will be out there trying to prove that we can do it better. >> reporter: for the next few years, nasa astronauts will be riding to space with their russian colleagues. as america's second space race kicks into high gear. tom costello, nbc news, cape canaveral. >>> it was a tense and thrilling finish to the indianapolis 500 today. one turn away from winning, j.r. hildebrand lost control and skidded into the wall. allowing dan weldon to claim victory, his seco

and so i think, i think nasa plays a real, real important role. and i think we need to work on ways to have whatever nasa is doing be more visible to the american public so that the american public can't embrace all the benefits of this activity. >> i want to follow-up with asking you about, if we don't aggressively move forward and begin work on a heavy-lift rocket and the orion crew, but that will have an art international space leadership. and then secondly, dr. chyba, you can think about this because what you alluded to i think is so important, mr. pulham. if you would come in a second, dr. chyba, about your perspective from an academic experience which you believe is the best way to attract students and interest them in the field of study that are needed for maintaining strong and effective space exploration program. mr. pulham and then dr. chyba. >> thank you, senator. i think that in terms of the importance of having a new heavy-lift vehicle, you really only need to look as far as the james webb telescope program to understand where we are.

nasa says technicians and engineers will replace a switch box in endeavour's engine compartment.o days are required for the repair. last friday's launch was scrubbed due to an equipment problem. there is an enormous interest in this mission because the gabrielle giffords's husband mark kelly is the commander. >> lisa argen is here to talk about a beautiful week ahead. >> that's right. we're going to see above normal temperatures start outing this afternoon where we'll see numbers warming to the 80s. los gatos, 33 degrees. we had a couple of 30s. half moon bay, you're in the 30s, as well. napa, santa rosa, with that colder start, expect a warmer afternoon? yeah, warmer and drier air mass and ridge of high pressure expanding. warmer air throughout the day today. mild fluctuations tomorrow. 57 in oakland and 59 in fremont, 60 in mountain view with 66 in fairfield. half moon bay at 54 degrees and we're talking about clear skies this morning. still a little cool in some spots. some of the valleys have cooler air but warmer for everyone today and mild to warm throughout the week. cutti

it is not from nasa but from a private company.f a new breed of enterprises competing to reach orbit. and this one is the first to make it. >> now in orbit around the earth. >> a rare claims inside its factory in los angeles. a new generation is working on the rocket. average age? 28. and the atmosphere? it is laid back. the film "iron man" was shot here. and it's science fiction here was modeled on the boxx here. -- the boss here. wealthy from the internet firm of paypal. >> we are entering a new era of space travel that is very exciting and is likely to evolve rapidly. >> there is a reason for this. america is retiring its old space shuttles this summer and need to keep its astronauts flying. so it is payo the job. this animation shows how space x plans to do it. this will -- this will not happen for two years. the hardware is taking shape. this is a prototype of the "dragon" capsule, designed to take astronauts into orbit. it is bigger than "apollo" and meant to carry more people. let me show you what it is like inside. it feels

. >> iis not fm nasa, bufrom a ivatcompany.onef a new breed of the enterprises coetinto reach orbi this o is the first. >> we eow iorbit around e earth. a rare glimpse insiden los gele a new generation workg othe roet. ever stage and the atsphere, it ilaid back. t noin an" washot here it's iencfiction ho to a- wealthfrom thenternet firm paypal, he believes that space is good business. >> thinke ar enterg a new era of space travel that ivery exciting, onehat is likely to evolve ridly. >> theres a reason for this. amica retiringts own space shuttles this summer and needs to keep its astronauts flying. i is payinprive companies do the job. ts anation show h space plans to do it. the hardwa is taking spe. this is a prototy of t dragon caple, the spacecraft designed to take astronauts u into orbit. it is quite a bit bger than the apollo spacecraf at tk men theoon. it is meant to carry more people. leme sw you wh iis like insi. it feels cramped. is meant to take ree asonau down below and othefour above. there will be taken up into bi

nasa will try again to launch the shuttle "endeavour." last month it was scrubbed because of a wiring problem. wounded arizona congresswoman gabrielle giffords is on hand to watch her husband, mission commander mark kelly, blast off. joel brown is at the kennedy space center with more this morning. joel, good morning to you. >> terrell, good morning to you. second time's a charm, nasa hopes. so far no weather or technical issues to report here. and we're just a few hours away from liftoff. the clock is ticking down to "endeavour's" final mission. >> launch teams are not working any issues right now. >> reporter: after electrical glitches grounded the shuttle last month, nasa officials say conditions look promising for this morning's historic launch. hundreds of thousands of spectators are expected to be on hand, including injured congresswoman gabrielle giffords. >> she's, you know, looking forward to having him launch and come back, and, you know, it's just a big moment for all of us. >> reporter: giffords' husband mark kelly is "endeavo

ashe ace shuttle nears its end, nason using priva enterprise to sert -- nasa is usinprive enterise to send the th next men and womennto orbit. >> it is quite bger than apol. lete sh you what it is ke inside. >> welme t our viewersn th pbs merica. osama bin laden is dead, but his capacity to cause trouble is not. partularly with.s.-kistan lationships. the pakistani prime miste deny charges that h govnment was comacent in helping the ader to hide i or incompetence for fling to find him. he knowledged that he d nd to die, but warned thatny futu u.s sikes within s country cod beet with full force. >> andrimeinister under preure defending an armynd intelligence agencynder suspicio prime minist giliaid they had ne more against o qae dan mies anywhere else. algatis of incompence are inseed. and we emphatically rejected ose accusations. we are determined to g to e bottom of how, en the, and why osama bin laden's h residents in the abbottaba in abbotbad, f undstood e spch because itas in english. th 16-year-old read the subtits anthought sometng was missin >>here was r army when the amicanraid

nasa traced the problem back to a control box.the box, just that one box are hundreds and hundreds of connections and cables. they found there was an open circuit in that box. that's what was causing the problem. so, they changed that entire box out. they say they are good to go. no other issues with "endeavor". weather looks good as well. congresswoman giffords is here again. she'll watch the launch as mark kelly and the other astronauts lift off here tomorrow. she tweeted today she came back and returned here to florida today. she, along with everyone else hoping it can get off the ground tomorrow. >> what about the part of the palo that comes in the form of a nutritional bar made by students? >> reporter: yeah, it's a fascinating feel good story. two high school sisters entered a contest called the conrad foundation awards. they won in the nutrition category. they are from battle creek, michigan. they got help from the folks at kellogg. they did all the work. they literally came up with a nutrition bar that fit the nasa require

nasa has set july 8 as the target date for final space shuttle launch ever. atlantis will carry up time load of supply and equipment for the international space station. >> we've been following them on twitter. that is a lot of fun. >>> reminder for anyone driving to lake tahoe this weekend. pack your patience. caltrans shut down the highway to build new safety barriers. this map shows you that some of the alternate routes. there it is. it will take you to south lake on highway 88 to 89. drivers are warned to plan on an extra hour for travel time. we have more information on alternate routes on abc7news.com. look under see it on tv. i was thiingbout snow u there. >>ou are right. there are a couple of resorts open or opening for the memorial day weekend. incredible. >> yeah. it's going rain unfortunately up there. can't do anything about that. that will cause problems, too. talk about our chancesf rain. they are minimal at best. clouds are starting to break. i show you where it broke quickest and why it's coolest today and throughout the weekend. >> all right.

an end of an era is here for nasa. we'll also hear from the sharks in vancouver, coming up next. >>> preparations are underway for the space shuttle "endeavour's" final launch tomorrow morning. the agency says the electrical problem that grounded the flight two weeks ago is repaired. liftoff is scheduled for 8:56 a.m. in florida. the flight commander is mark kelly. his wife, congresswoman gabby giffords will be at kennedy space center for the launch. this is the second to last launch for nasa's space shuttle program. "atlantis" is scheduled to take flight in july. >>> one more check on the weather with the commute. >> the commute looks like we're going to see some light rain moving in. the evening commute will be more impacted by the strongest system we'll see this week. it's tomorrow afternoon into tuesday. rain off and on, more sierra snow. maybe a foot or two coming up as we go into tuesday. >> it never ends. thanks for watching nbc bay area laurencews 11:00. lalaurence scott sits sharks slip in vancouver. "sports s

new tonight at 6:00, a rare look inside nasa state hospital.hy it plan to upgrade security there falls short of what workers are demanding. >>> then new after 6:30, what nasa notice about the days leading up to the deadly japan earthquake and how it could help predict future earthquakes. it is all coming up tonight on the news at 6:00. now, back to dan and cheryl. >> thanks a lot. >>> the 7th edition of the sonoma jazz plus festival is about to get underway. ♪ >> that is susan singing for the sixth grade band at altamira middle school. with her husband they are the band opening tonight's big show. >> the first val benefits programs in sew that ma. she told the students that music is the pathway to dreams. >> got to sit in and play with a lot of my heros and i love what i do. i get to write songs and make up stuff and record. my husband and i just started a new band together, an 11 piece band. >> their band is joined on stage by john foggerty and cheryl crowe tomorrow night. there will be music around the plaza all weekend. >> that will do it fo

nasa says those windows are just too damaged to be saved. they are stripping the hangar down to the steel frame because of concerns about the comtaminants in the site. nasa has requested nearly $33 million to restore the hangar but that funding has not been approved. >>> stocks were down today following a disappointing reports on jobs. economic data showed the private sector added 179,000 jobs last month down from 207,000 jobs the month before. dow jones ended up losing almost 84 points today. the nasdaq was off more than 13 points. pg&e reported a big drop in first quarter profits today. pg&e blamed the drop on the costs incurred from last september's explosion in sanbruno. the company said it has earned 50 cents a share during the first three months of the year. last the same quarter the utility earned 67 cents. >> and santa clara based intel today unveiled a new computer chip that could revolutionize the high-tech industry. it is smaller and faster and has 3d tran sister. the ships will be in full production sometime this year and in comp

nasa has set july 8 as the target date for final space shuttle launch ever.tlantis will carry up time load of supply and equipment for the international space station. >> we've been following them on twitter. that is a lot of fun. >>> reminder for anyone driving to lake tahoe this weekend. pack your patience. caltrans shut down the highway to build new safety barriers. this map shows you that some of the alternate routes. there it is. it will take you to south lake on highway 88 to 89. drivers are warned to plan on an extra hour for travel time. we have more information on alternate routes on abc7news.com. look under see it on tv. i was thinking about snow up there. >> you are right. there are a couple of resorts open or opening for the memorial day weekend. incredible. >> yeah. it's going rain unfortunately up there. can't do anything about that. that will cause problems, too. talk about our chances of rain. they are minimal at best. clouds are starting to break. i show you where it broke quickest and why it's coolest today and throughout the weekend. >> all

endeavor six crew members have been on board, they are waiting to take off and nasa says it's a goodnce it will take off on time in just about 20 minutes. >> endeavor's final final count down is on. the space shuttle is in place on the launch pad at the kennedy space center. the crew is already had a dry run. they were dressed and ready to go april 29th when the mission was called off because of a faulty wire in a heating system. >> so we scrubbed and went in and started our troubleshooting and found those heaters weren't getting power. they weren't getting power because one of the distribution inside had a fuse blown. >> the crew will deliver a $2 billion experiment to the international space station along with other parts. they'll also perform four space walks. >> we really appreciate all the hard work by the team that's worked over the last couple of weeks to get shuttle endeavor ready. >> reporter: among the 500,000 people nasa's predicting will attend the launch is the wife of shuttle commander mark kelly. u.s. congresswoman gabrielle giffords. she traveled to florida from the t

. >> nasa said it will try again to launch space shuttle endeavor. it is the second attempt to send the endeavor on the next to last shuttle flight. >> the mission is being lead by mark kelly. husband of congresswoman giffords. giffords plans to attend the launch. >> stay with us, there is more coming up. the mighty mississippi spills its banks from memphis to new orleans tonight. spring flooding of near record porportions. >> the government of the pakistan promises an investigation of how osama bin

nasa says those windows are just too damaged to be saved. they are stripping the hangar down to the steel frame because of concerns about the comtaminants in the site. nasa has requested nearly $33 million to restore the hangar but that funding has not been approved. >>> stocks were down today following a disappointing reports on jobs. economic data showed the private sector added 179,000 jobs last month down from 207,000 jobs the month before. dow jones ended up losing almost 84 points today. the nasdaq was off more than 13 points. pg&e reported a big drop in first quarter profits today. pg&e blamed the drop on the costs incurred from last september's explosion in sanbruno. the company said it has earned 50 cents a share during the first three months of the year. last year during the same quarter the utility earned 67 cents. >> and santa clara based intel today unveiled a new computer chip that could revolutionize the high-tech industry. it is smaller and faster and has 3d tran sister. the ships will be in full production sometime this year

and good morning from nasa's johnson space center. this is mission control houston at t-minus nine minutes and holding. the asset team has been on console since 3:00 this morning and today is led by richard jones who's overseeing his fifth launch. handling communications with the crew is astronaut barry willmore with lee serving as the interface with astronaut rick sturko who is flying weather reconnaissance around the kennedy space center in an aircraft known as the shuttle training aircraft or sta. the flight control team is monitoring all systems aboard the space shuttle along with the launch team and has just notified the flight director it is ready to support the 25th and final launch of endeavor this morning. nineteen years ago to the day that endeavor landed safely in california to end its maiden voyage in 1992. the asset team has spent the majority of its shift evaluating the weather conditions at the launch site in the event an emergency return to the shuttle landing facility is required. the team also evaluates weather at co

nasa says a new launch date likely won't come before the end of the week. >>> and president barack obama becomes a comedian in chief at the white house correspondents dinner last night. he felt everyone, including his potential republican challengers. but then it was his turn to take a ribbing from the event's host, saturday night live's seth meyers. >> now, you, on the other hand, mr. president, have aged a little. what happened to you? when you were sworn in, you looked like the guy from the old spice commercials. now you look like louis gosset, sr. >> laughing along, the president in the audience. of course, a journalist and several hollywood stars all on the invite list. >>> so, as we mentioned a bit earlier, pope john paul ii on the fast track to sainthood. a chicago family is convinced he gave them a miracle. their story next. >>> and we also go live to rome. , building up our wireless network all across america. we're adding new cell sites... increasing network capacity, and investing billions of dol

. >>> nasa called it routine. others called it exciting. ahead -- the details on the mission. >>> donald trump says he's not gonna try for the white house and will keep his oval office instead. even though he's confident he can win, he's not going to seek the presidency. trump floated his presidential aspirations during speeches to republican groups in new hampshire and nevada. trump will continue its host of the select apprentice. >>> wounded congresswoman grab re-- gabrielle giffords watched her husband mark kelly blast into space. katherine cal lowway reports on the spinal launch of the space shuttle. >> it was tremendous to see the shuttle take off. >> reporter: the crew will deliver a $2 billion physics equipment. among the estimated 500,000 who attended the launch, the wife of shuttle commander, mark kelly, gabrielle giffords. >> shing looked -- she looked at me and said good stuff. good stuff. >> reporter: her incredible recovery from an attack in arizona has at times overshadowed the bittersweet signature of the launch -- the signif

this is courtesy of nasa tv. it just got underway. >> good morning. >> michelle tonini, head of the european astronaut center. mike moses, he's our shuttle launch integration manager and chairman of the prelaunch management team. >> good morning. >> and mike leinbach, shuttle launch director. >> good morning, everybody. >> we'll be happy to take your questions after we begin with opening comments. >> thanks, mike. it's great to be here, and i can't thank the team that got this vehicle ready to fly enough for all the work they've done. it was tremendous to see the launch today, to see the countdown go as smoothly as it did. the ap heater problem, the team's really worked hard to get through that and get that behind us and understand what the problem was, and that was no problem to us at all during the count. the count was very smooth throughout the day, and mike and michael will talk to you more about the count, but it went extremely well. the vehicle looked very good going uphill. we had a little thing on the cen

. >>> a team of nasa and russian scientists thinks that an earthquake in japan has revealed clues aboutthquakes. it it works it could save a lot of lives. not all scientists agree with the findings according to california watch. more on all this from abc 7's heather ishimaru. >> reporter: the march 11 earthquake in japan was a magnitude 9.1. a team of scientists monitoring quakes there say they could tell it was coming because the atmosphere born the epicenter was heating up from 8 days before. a russian rye entity says gases on the earthquake's crust cause gases like radon to escape into the atmosphere. they ionize and create heat detectable by satellite. out of 24 quakes in japan of magnitude 7 or greater all showed the same atmospheric signals before hand. >> it is impossible to store this underground and this is the one moment to release. >> his interpretation from my perspective is not the last word. >> nasa scientist agrees the atmosphere heats up but not from escaped gases. he thinks as the stresses and the earth's crust build toward a quake massive air ionization is the result.

. >>> a nasa first today. the pope gave a blessing to the crew of the space shuttle endeavour. >> dear astronauts, i'm very happy to have this extraordinary opportunity converse with you during the mission. >> alan: pope benedict xvi bestowed a historic blessing on the 12 strawtz -- astronauts circling earth. it included good wishes for gabrielle giffords. the pope said he admired the astronauts courage, discipline and commitment. >> i believe it was very interesting event for him. in fact it was the first time that the pope has called to a station in space and i think it's really touched him. >> alan: the extraordinary conversation as pope benedict described, occurred after the astronauts inspects a small gash in the shuttles belly. nasa says the gash poses no safety concern. >>> iceland's most active volcano is erupting. an eruption has begun. local media are reporting smoke can be seen coming from the volcano. scientists have been expecting the eruption but it is not expected to cause a disruption to air tr

. >> right on time this morning from nasa, from florida and -- >> engine still looking in good shape. hydraulic systems and electrical systems on board the orbiter. >> reporter: obviously you're always getting nervous when there's a launch and you're looking for signs. this is the final launch of the space shuttle en dea vour. it will be delivering a special deliver. >> it's very important for the space program and as you mentioned everybody gets nervous as you watch that happening. but the weather was nice. the launch right on time. listening to him talk about the fuel we had some of that information, it was they filled the shuttle with, what is it, half million gallons of fuel of liquid gases and they burn it in 9 minutes. he was talking about how much per second, just incredible. >> and we've been talking about the fact that wounded arizona congresswoman gabrielle giffords was there watching this launch. her husband is commander of this shuttle mission. she had a chance to see it along with everyone else out there. thousands of people on hand for a picture perfect launch. >> we'll

space program not the end of it nasa is still there still collecting eighteen billion a year in federal funds honestly if you think that the only way we can explore outer space is through a heavily bureaucratize and inefficient agency such as nasa you have no imagination that's true but i think it's more the symbolic fact that you know americans were great leaders in the space travel the space development programs and then suddenly because of financial issues and other mismanagement we had to shut it down not fully but significantly time for our ideas is more the broader trend of not being as great as we used to be as well i think we just don't really want to go to the next frontier as much as we used to write a used to be good mood and then some are and then we start colonizing it now it's like well we've checked out the moon so now we're going to let some private business step in and started giving people little roller coaster rides you know through orbits you can look down to earth but forget about the whole exploration but it's just about fun you know i like the idea of taking care

it's not from nasa but from a private company.d of enterprises competing to reach orbit. and this one is the first to make it. >> now in orbit around the earth. >> reporter: a rare glimpse inside its factory in los angeles. a new generation is working on the rockets. average age, 28. and the atmosphere, well, it's pretty laid back. the film "iron man" was shot here. and its sci-fi hero was modeled on the boss here, elon mosk, wealthy from the internet firm paypal, he now believes space is good business. >> i think that we're really entering a new era of space travel that's very exciting. and one which is likely to evolve rapidly compared to the past. >> reporter: there is a reason for this, america is retiring its old space shuttles this summer and needs to keep its astronauts flying so it is paying private companies to do the job. this animation shows how space ex plans to do this. won't happen for real at least two years, but hardware is taking shape. >> now this is a prototype of the dragon capsule. the spacecraft which are des

to go this is an unmanned spacecraft who knows this we're sending stuff because i thought you know nasa was all screwed because we have to shut down that program the shuttle well don't have any of these well we were tired we want to have people to the moon anymore now it's up to you know private industry commercial because i was you know it was a new people the moon was like so beneficial to us right. yeah right no matter what this is going on in my mind for weeks now all the all the melancholy about the sorry the retuning of the u.s. space program not the end of it nasa is still there still collecting eighteen billion a year in federal funds honestly if you think that the only way we can explore outer space is through a heavily bureaucratize inefficient agency such as nasa you have no imagination that's true but i think it's more the symbolic fact that you know americans were great leaders in the space travel the space development programs and then suddenly because of financial issues and other mismanagement we had to shut it down enough significantly time for our i think it was more t

. >> nasa's they shuttle endeavor are pushed off last night for its final return home from space.is scheduled to land in florida early wednesday morning peace they shuttle atlantis will be nasa's final shuttle flights this summer. >>> meteorologist rosemary orozco is joining us now. at 5:00 we called this weather annoying. i think that is fair. >> here comes that rain again. it could be here in time for the morning drive. winds will be south, southwesterly at 10-15 miles per hour. actually that calm down just a little bit. 18 miles an hour just a little earlier. 59 in redwood city. 61 right now in san francisco. take a look at santa rosa, 59 degrees. all of those clouds are on their way in as the system is going to bring us some rain, winds, and a possibility of a thunderstorm or two. northern california is already see this rain. the circulation will cross right over california, wednesday and that will be the coolest, most unstable air. for tomorrow, bring along the umbrella. scattered showers. while we sleep it begins to slide in. at the morning commute looks like it could be pre

nasa's more recent idea is more down to earth.id-powered lasers that could move the objects from their collision course. >> and those lasers when you shoot them all the way into space are not capable of vaporizing anything or melting anything. but what they are capable of doing is giving a gentle push to a piece of space debris. >> reporter: he says just as the light is gently pushing on the wings of this radiometer and making it spin a laser on earth could gently push on a piece of space junk and move it and avoid a collision. >> this is like the mockup satellite in this gun range. they shot it with a one centimeter aluminium sphere moving. >> that was standing still. >> standing still but simulating a collision. that was the end result. >> so now all of this then becomes? >> becomes junk, any one piece of which could do this to something else. >> 33 years ago a nasa astronomer predicted we would be in this situation. but china's anti-satellite test in 2007 exacerbated the problem. >> and liftoff. >> reporter: small pieces have h

nasa is postponing the launch. nasa said they are testing the electrical system that caused a short circuit. that which presented -- prevented the liftoff. another six man crew has returned to florida. >>>>> mitt romney has a big lead in new hampshire. he has the support of 36% of likely republican voters. donald trump been%. mike huckabee and ron paul tied for third and 6%. the poll has a margin of error of plus or minus 0.8%. >> prince charles met with president obama at the white house this evening. they discussed energy and environmental issues in the oval office. the stock was the last on a two day trip to washington. he visited georgetown university where he gave a speech to students about environmentally friendly farming. >>> the rain as moved out of the region. get ready for cold start tomorrow morning. -- a cold start tomorrow morning. >> we had some of those blasting showers and the skies are clear. look at the temperatures. out there in the shenandoah valley. you can see the temperatures are in the 40's

that is the nasa program . the sophia aircraft is a modified boeing with a huge cell scope with studying asteroid and black holes. first flights will be this month and next month. >> what a fabulous opportunity. >> we'll talk about the forecast. it is blustery out there. >> the wind has picked up. it is gusting 25-30 miles per hour and the low clouds made a rush to the coastline and so it has been a cooler day in our beaches. inland areas enjoyed a nice warm up. live picture from the high definition camera showing clouds there and plenty of sunshine from that view. high definition south beach camera looking toward san francisco and you can see the sun there. it is not exactly blue everywhere. i will show you the satellite picture in a moment. temperatures from the 50s around san francisco and half moon bay and oakland and fremont and antioch . cooler bay and inland tomorrow . showers starting saturday night with much cooler weather coming over the weekend. this afternoon, you probabliinoid that it - probably no

. >>> another setback for nasa. the new reason the shuttle launch has been delayed once again. darcy? >> reporter: craig, the avon walk for the cure just wrapped up here on the national mall. we're going to hear from one survivor who had a very aggressive form of breast cancer. she was able to beat the odds and participate in the walk, that's coming up. >>> also tonight, seth myers kept the crowd entertained and the donald is not laughing and now taking aim at the comedian. >>> clouds a-plenty out there today but raindrops a-few. how long will this pattern stick >>> the launch of the space shuttle "endeavour" has been delayed again until at least the end of the week now. nasa was hoping to launch the spacecraft tomorrow but technicians are still working to fix a problem with the heater system. mark kelly and the five other astronauts returned to houston. however kelly's wife, wounded congresswoman gabby giffords remains in florida. >>> a teacher from frederick, maryland, has just been named the best in the nation. michelle shearer won the coveted teacher of the year award. she

nasa will make the decision by tomorrow afternoon if it is ready to launch on monday. much of the focus today in tornado ravaged alabama was on the missing. a number of people and accounted for is staggering. the death toll stands at 342 right now. war on the story from chris clackum who remains in alabama tonight. >> the massive relief effort underway to help tornado victims and alabama is matched only by a massive need. >> we have some of the greatest people that care about their neighbors, and it was evident today. every place that we went, we saw so many volunteers. >> with a tattered flag recovered from the rubble in tuscaloosa raised for inspiration, the mayor calls that a humanitarian crisis. >> we still remain that shining city on the hill because the world has seen on our faith in god and our faith in each other. >> researchers -- the search is here have intensified because tuscaloosa still cannot account for close to 600 of its residents. >> going through the rubble, looking for those who are missing, we are taking the list of 570 that we have now and cross r

. >>> nasa said good-bye to its mars over.ver for 10 months with no success. they concluded the solar heaters didn't make it through the martian winter. it septback 100,000 images and gathered information about the martian service. its twin is still active and this november nasa plans to launch a new one. >>> two astronauts from space shuttle endeavor took their third space walk today. >> they spent 7 hours outside the space station. there was one scare. his eye began stinging and watering. the fogging soap in hisment got in his eye. but it cleared up quickly. >> they installed a huge power and data fixture. and they installed power cables and finished work on the antenna system. they are final walk is expected on saturday. their 1,000th hour working and walking in space. >> reporter: back now to the breaking news. the fire in oakland. we have live pictures from news chopper 2. you can see that house. the address that the firefighters gave us is 9815 burr street. to give you a sense of where that is, that is not far from inter

nasa says everything is looking good.ood shape and two and a half weeks ago the launch was scrubbed and after some critical heaters, heating units actually failed. nasa went back and traced the problem to an elect call box that contained hundreds and hundreds of circuits, and they found that one of those circuits was literally open so they changed out the box and they say everything is good to go as far as the vehicle is concerned. gabrielle giffords, the congresswoman who is critically wounded in a shooting back in january, is back again to watch this launch. her husband mark kelly is the commander of "endeavour." now not only is "endeavour" carrying a critical science pay load call the alpha magnetive spectrometer which could revolutionize our understanding of the universe, it is also carrying nutrition bars, and these nutrition bars were created by two sisters, a 14 and 16-year-old, from battle creek, michigan. they won a contest that allowed them to go ahead an make this bar, and then they went to nasa with it, and na

nasa scrubbed last month's launch because of storms and electrical problems.re's just a 30% chance of a weather delay for tomorrow's liftoff set for 5:56 a.m. our time. this will be the last please flight and the second to last for nasa. >>> a spring snowstorm is part -- organizers have abruptly cancelled the first stage of the race, the first time in the event's history. they hope to start tomorrow. thanks, lawrence >>> we would just like a dry commute. >> i was going to say in just about a little over a month, it's going to be summer. hey, we have some beautiful pictures. look at the blue skies. we're going to see more problems as we head into tomorrow. we're not going to get much of a break. tonight we're continuing to see some scattered showers around the bay area, part of north bay, just some pockets of rainfall showing up out there. you can see some cells making their way on through. watch out, your likely to run into a couple of raindrops. half moon bay, scattered light showers. a couple more off the coastline. it looks like things will stay a little bi

ten people, all affiliated with nasas a rearch center, were on the sailboat when is capsized. tyler lorenzo was killed, he was identified as a native of mill valley. other man is missing. eight others survived by clinging to debris in water and five of. the swam to shore. >> clearly a very harrowing experience for them, being trapped in the middle of the night and swimming for their lives. >> alan: investigators say it's still up clear how the boat caps sized. >> a liter of the international monetary fund pulled off a plan moments before it was scheduled to take off. why he is being investigateed. >> high gas prices show no sign of stopping and president obama announces 0 plan to brick them down. >> a republican heavy hitter >> closed captioning brought to >> closed captioning brought to >> alan: the head of the international monetary fund has been arrested in new york and is being questioned in connection with the sexual assault of a hotel maid. police say dominic strauss was pulled off an air france fright to paris this afternoon at john f. kennedy airport shortly after leav

nasa's more recent idea is a little more down to earth.r lasers could move the objects from their collision course. >> those lasers, when you shoot them all the way into space, are not capable of vaporizing anything or melting anything. but what they are capable of doing is giving a gentle push to a piece of space debris. >> reporter: he says it would work like this. just as the light is gently pushing on the wings of this radiometer and making it spin, a laser on earth could gently push on a piece of space junk and move it about 650 feet a day and avoid a collision. >> so this is like a mock-up satellite, stuck in this gun range. then they shot it with a a 1- centimeter aluminum sphere moving at orbital velocity. >> that was standing still? >> standing still, but simulating a collision. that was the end result. >> now all of this becomes? >> becomes junk. any one piece of which could do this to something else. >> reporter: 33 years ago, a nasa astronomer predicted we would be in this situation, but china's antisatellite test in 2007 exace

nasa is once again delaying the final launch of the space shutten he ever do you ever -- endeavour. there was a big to do with president obama scheduled to attend and the shuttle commander's wife congresswoman giffords but she is back in houston this morning and for now nasa says they will aim for another launch window for the end of the week. cause for the delay, heating panels not working properly. >>> people across the country breathing easier this morning after hearing about the death of osama bin laden. >> yeah. up next, we will talk to a man who lost his son on september 11th and hear what the news means to him. >> reporter: it's a moment that will go down in history. i am linda so. osama bin laden is dead. we are live at penn station this morning talking to folks who some of them are finding out for the first time this morning. >>> good morning "maryland." >>> 5:46. president obama says justice has been done. osama bin laden was killed in a fire fight with u.s. forces. his death end the decade long manhunt. he was reported the mastermind behind september 11th. linda so joins

nasa is hoping to launch on monday. if the problem is not fixed, there could be at least a week's delay. >>> we are just hours away from the beatification of pope john paul ii. thousands of people will be attending the mass tomorrow in st. peter's square. pope benedict put him on the fast track for sainthood when he waved the show additional five- year waiting time and allowed the process to begin this week. >> it is the last step on th st.ee to sainthood. we're just waiting for one more miracle. >> not everyone wants to see him beatified. critics say he turned a blind eye to the sex abuse scandal. >>> instead of heading out on a honeymoon, prince william will be going back to work. the royal newlyweds are delaying their getaway. no reason is being given. a helicopter took them away to a secret location. after a quick weekend, they will head back to their home in wales on tuesday where prince william is stationed as a search and rescue pilot. >>> students say they will treasure the lesson. today marked the second annual

the collection is being released to mark nasa's year of the solar system. nasa says the idea is to help understand the evolution of the planet and the suns. you can find a link to these images on our website, just go to ktvu.com. >>> an election in san mateo county where voters went to mailboxes instead of polling places. >>> our chief meteorologist bill martin tracking some of the warmer weather so far this season. his forecast in just five minutes. >>> hundreds of protesters demonstrated outside the corporate officers of wells fargo in san francisco this afternoon. police say eight people were sited for blocking an entrance to the building. the protesters accused the banks of profits off taxpayers bail offs and not doing enough to prevent customers to go into foreclosure. a spokeswoman said foreclosure is a last resort. >>> the ballots have been counted tonight in san mateo county special election. this election was difficult than most. that's because there were no polling places in schools or garages. in a money saving move. this was a vote by mail elect

latest we got nasa is fueling the shuttle up.o all things looking good so far. >> eric: san francisco police need your help to identify someone investigators are calling a person of interest in a homicide case. this man has been accessing the bank account of a homicide victim in a variety of locations in san francisco and around the bay area. she described african-american, in his 50s, 5'3" to 5'5". he can be seen after making a purchase at a target store using the victim's account. the victim was killed inside his apartment on folsom street on may 12th. medical examiner has determined he was murdered. >> the head of imf faces arraignment today on assault charges. a hotel maid picked him out of line-up, dominique strauss-kahn was going working to save several nation's economies. he is accused of emerging naked from the bathroom and attacking her. she fought him off and attacked again before he broke free and escaped. he now faces several charges. >> he intends to vig us rousely defend these charges and denies any wrongdoing. >> t