. >> jfk sought out advice from nasa's top engineers.amed rocket scientist von braun. >> huntsville, alabama, president kennedy here with von braun, begins a two-day tour -- >> i read a letter that he wrote to kennedy, when he said, how can we beat the russians? and von braun's letter basically said, we can't beat them they were except to be the first on the moon. and so, that's what we committed to. >> may 25th, 1961, the president made a dramatic announcement before a joint session of congress. >> i believe that this nation should commit itself to achieving the goal before this decade is out of landing a man on the moon and returning him safely to the earth. >> we didn't go to the moon to collect rocks. we went to the moon to stick the flag in the moon before the russians did. >> if we didn't have the cold war, would kennedy have had the same -- >> no. >> -- zeal? >> no. >> to have something that would show america's ability to respond to a challenge as well as to do it in what in a full, open, and peaceful way, i think really did catc

this according to nasa itself. nasa posting villa activity arrest little over two hours ago saying today's spacewalk ended at 2:29 p.m. eastern a five hour 28 minute excursion. the group will go out to install aa new ammonia pump. the station's cooling system failed this past wednesday so part of their mission is to fix a giant pump with a faulty valve. that pump is about the size of a refrigerator. they first attempted to fingers the problem by remote control but that didn't work. nasa is trying to identify the cause of the failure and whether it's a software or hardware issue. the spacewalk started just after 7:00 a.m. eastern and was expected to last six and a half hours. but get this, they finished in record time, nasa said it was complete one hour ahead of schedule. and because of that they were able to take on additional tasks related to the repairs. let's listen in on the spacewalk from earlier this morning. >> you're hearing the voice of the astronauts two of six astronauts at the international space statio

cbs news. >> nasa does have two other spare cooling modules on board the space station. the space agency packed the station with spare parts before the shuttle program shutdown in 2011. >>> well, howard says get ready for spring-like weather. his first alert forecast is up next. >>> yeah, but right now a heavy coat, it is chilly out here today. we'll take you to break with a look at the wind chills. right now wind chill only 24 in haggers town, and freezing up at the naval academy. we'll be back with a much more gentle forecast when we return. you're watching wusa9 j >>> anyone whose been to d.c. knows the u-street staple bens chilly bowl where you go to get your fix for a chili dog or fries, and if you didn't know it the family business is headed by its matriarch, one of the most influential and respected people in town and as bruce johnson reports many of the celebrities she's served came to town wishher a happy birthday. >> i feel so loved and so happy and so blessed. >> reporter: virginia alie celebrated her 80th birthday today. >> i'm absolutely overwhelmed. >> [app

nasa has said that this would not pose a danger to the crew and just in case you're wondering, the nasaastronauts are outfitted for the first time in their helmets to keep them from drowning. after today the three part repair will continue monday and wednesday of next week. ry she wilrichelle, quite a dayf them. >> thank you so much. >>> we're used to seeing robots doing amazing things. but these robots right here behind me, these are not digital models from a transformers movie. these are for reel. and some day they may actually save your life. they're competing in the defense department's robot challenge. which robot is winning the competition so far, jacob? >> the thing about this competition is it's really a well-rounded test for robots. climbing ladders, even having to drive a truck. it was going to be anybody's game. but the shaft robot out of japan is the runaway winner, the runaway fifth, not the official winner yet but almost. a couple of themes have evolved here. the big one is that google's name is on every's mind. they recently bought shaft and another company boston dynamic

. >>> a big job is underway for nasa astronauts right now. they're conducting a spacewalk trying to repair a damaged coolant pump. this is a tricky mission but i know you can explain it. >> reporter: this incident happened shortly after the space station experienced a cooling system failure this past wednesday. the spacewalk started at 7:00 a.m. eastern and is expected to last for six and a half hours. you're looking at live video feed. this is live pictures which is why the picture is breaking you up of the repair, the spacewalk and we'll cut in to the mission control as well. two nasa astronauts with three spacewalks, this being the first. they're trying to fix a giant pump with a faulty valve. the broken cooling pump is about the size of a refrigerator. let's listen in on the spacewalk from earlier this morning. >> the sharp edge of the circular hand rail. >> i see the wire tie. i see it, okay, copy. >> reporter: you're hearing the voices of nasa restaurants astronauts. they're trying to find the cause of the failure whether it's a hardwar

. >>> nasa is preparing for a space walk this morning to fix a cooling system on the international space station. astronauts removed the faulty pump during a space walk over the weekend. >> susan mcginnis has a preview of the procedure that has only been done once before on christmas eve. >> reporter: nasa astronauts

we are told a cooling, failed and nasa is racing to fix it. karen travers has the latest. >> it was a long night at mission control in houston as engineers raced us to save one of the cooling pumps on the international space station jerod >> it is a very delicate balance that we have to operate in, and so we have systems and checks and balances in place so that the temperature in that and the loop cold, itself will shut down, and that is what happened yesterday. >> it is kind of like a car radiator. the cooling system pumps into the space station to keep it cool, and one of the pumps fail. nasa does not know why. on critical systems are powered down to prevent the dangers of overheating. it is not just a temperature for the astronauts, is so the instruments do not overheat, the get damagedto not which could then jeopardize the whole station. >> engineers are weighing options. do a software fix by loading a patch. if that is not work and it is a hardware problem, they have to consider an emergency . >> chris, we will get a plan for up here.ean

nasa is hoping, at least, today they'll be able to finish up. nasa astro yacht rick mass stroke yo and has been working hard. >> during the first space walk they're going to put the new one in and that could do the trick. >> reporter: the pump say critical part of the cooling system. it broke down december 11th, triggering the space lock to repair the system as quickly as possible. >> they expect failure over the life of a program going on this long. the trick is to be prepared for when it happens and for the crew to be able to prepare it. >> reporter: today's walk was originally scheduled for yesterday, but it had to be delayed after a small amount of water got into the astronaut's suit during a mission. >> they put that new suit together, tested it. everybody's quite pleased with how that is. they don't think they'll have any problems for this space walk. >> reporter: last july, an italian astronaut nearly drowned when a water leak flooded his helmet. and mission control expects no problem with the contact of the international space station an

a lot of eyes on nasa this week.e, thank you. >>> and to colorado tonight, where we're learning nor details about what played out in that high school. what happened in those 80 seconds of horror. this as hundreds of students and shaken neighbors gathered at a candlelight vigil in the shadow of the school this weekend. tonight, we hear from the young woman who went to the prom with the gunman. were there any warning signs? abc's clayton sandell with the interview. >> reporter: inside arapahoe high today, a testament to terror. student backpacks, cell phones and computers lie scattered. >> the school is locked down. >> reporter: abandoned friday when police say 18-year-old karl pierson walks in a north entrance, opening fire with a 12-gauge shotgun. his second shot, aimed point blank at 17-year-old claire davis. >> she was an innocent victim of an evil act of violence. >> reporter: pierson moved down a hallway into the library, firing again. >> one paul 31, i'm going to the library. >> reporter: the campus deputy sheri

as john explains, nasa did have extra safety precautions in place. >> one of the concerns nasa had going into the space walk was what would happen inside the space suit? back in july, european astronaut space walk lasted only 90 minutes, cut way short when he began to experience water building up inside his helmet. they got him inside quickly enough, got his helmet off. he came close to potentially drowning in the helmet. nasa devised a couple things going into this series of space walks. they had a pad that was fabricated. that goes in the back of the helmet. periodically, the astronauts during the first space walk on saturday were able to put their heads back, check to see if the pad was dry. no water in the helmets. that was good news. they also install a snorkle, a tube installed inside the space suits themselves, so if, for any reason water did build up in the helmets, the astronauts could take breaths of air from the snorkle. but, didn't have any problem with either of the space suits. everything went very, very well on the first of the space walks as far as the safety of the astro

-x®,xi&l.t@ >> stephen: ladies and gentlemen, nasa we bestow a major honor of ed stone.please welcome galactic commander stephen tiberius colbert! >> stephen: look at me. i'm sandra bullock! >> all right. that's enough. that's enough. that's it. okay. mr. stone, ed, please rise. please rise. >> it is now my honor to present nasa's distinguished public service medal to edward c. stone for a lifetime of extraordinary scientific achievement and outstanding leadership of space science missions, and for his exemplary sharing of the exciting results with the public. ed. [ cheers and applause ] >> stephen: a grateful nation thanthanks you. >> thank you. >> stephen: ed stone, everybody. good night! good night,

nasa scrambling, planning for dangerous space walks. if mission control can't fix the space station. >>> and sister wives. the star of a reality show taking on that long-standing ban on polygamy. tonight, that husband has won. >>> good evening. and it's great to have you with us here on a sunday night. over my shoulder here, a scene from that great movie and a legendary actor. peter o'toole. we learned this sunday the actor has died. this image tonight of a quiet moment while filming that movie, just before he would become a global star. playing that british soldier in world war i. but from black and white to color, and to what helped make him famous. the blue eyes and good looks. tonight, we look back at his career and his life. as we return here to an interview he gave to abc news not so long ago about shooting that first mu veeshgs and everything that followed. ♪ come here the girls declare ♪ he must be a millionaire >> reporter: defined by his starring role in "lawrence of arabia," peter o'toole was virtually noin when they sudd sud

and my guest ed stone is a nasa scientist who over saw the voyager space missions, well in my studio everyone can hear me scream. >> north korean kim jong un reportedly fired his own uncle, no word yet whether he fired him into a mountain or the sea. this is the colbert report. [ cheers and applause captioning sponsored by comedy central ( theme song playing ) ( cheers and applause ) >> stephen: welcome to the report. thank you. >> stephen! stephen! stephen! [ cheers and applause ] >> yeah, i i'm angry too. >> as america's most famous catholic, folks, you know i have tried to cut the "new pope" over here some slack. i wasn't thrilled when he washed the feet of muslim criminals, kissed the uninsured and got all misty about the low-income moochers out there. >> they put less in the collection plate each week but they want the same amount of heaven? huh-uh. read your fine print. the meek shall inherit the earth when i am done with it. >> but, folks, this week there was news out of the holy see that has me holy seething. >> the pope may have a secret life, rumors he sneaks out of the vat

nasa is hoping some unplanned spacewalks will be the answer to mechanical problems plaguing the international space station. >>> and canine courage. a blind man falls onto the subway tracks in new york city and is rescued by his fearless guide dog. captioning funded by cbs >>> this is the "cbs morning news" for wednesday, december 18th, 2013. good morning. good to be with you. i'm anne-marie green. well, two winning tickets were sold for last night's mega millions jackpot, the second largest lottery prize in u.s. history. lottery officials say one ticket was sold at a newsstand in atlanta, georgia, and another at a gift shop in san jose, california. the winning numbers are -- lottery officials say the jackpot is expected to exceed $647 million when the final ticket sales are calculated later today. now, the seller of the winning ticket gets a small percentage of the winnings and early this morning outside the san jose store, the man who says he is the owner was clearly excited. >> the lottery called me and let me know. i come and take a look, you know. but everybody here, whoa. >> mega millio

nasa never takes any chances.checks out good, but in case this would happen again, very unlikely, they have an absorbing pad placed in the back of the helmet of each of the astronauts. mike is wearing the suit lucca was wearing last time. about absorb be pad behind his head and something like a snorkel. it's not a snorkel. it's a piece of tubing. in case the astronaut, water gets in there and needs air, he can lean forward and breathe very easily out of this snorkel device. they call is a snorkel but really it just looks like a tube. so those guys are confident in their suits and read to go do their space walks. >> i think we have video of the snorkel. while we get that video up, i want to ask you, mike, what was the water used for? was it used for cooling purposes or was it like a tube for drinking water? we know this is 6.5 hours. >> yeah. so for the -- talking about the snorkel itself? >> the water that flooded the suit? >> that flooded the suit. two sources of water in the suit. one a drink bag right in front

that's part of the reason they put a nasa -- nasa put a teacher on. >> they thought it was completely they really had to deconstruct the entire program from that point on, and it's interesting because it's one of those moments where people knew exactly where they were when they found out the challenger had exploded upon liftoff, and i remember going back to my junior high and all the teachers, all the women in school, were just sobbing, and it was such a profound moment. >> because there was a teacher onboard, there were so many students and young children watching. >> yes. >> what about her response, that it's a tribute to the brave men and women of nasa? does that ring true? >> i don't think that when they were producing the track, that when she wrote it or -- whichever producer, when they chose that clip, don't think they were pro-actively trying to pay tribute to that mission. but it's a nice pat thing to say when there's some controversy that erupts. just be honest. we wanted people to have a strong emotional reaction. this is a love song, and sometimes that's what artists do. th

why nasa says taking care of the problem will be no easy fix. avo: the volkswagen "sign then drive sales event is back. which means it's never been easier to get a new passat, awarded j.d. power's most appealing midsize car, two years in a row. and right now you can drive one home for practically just your signature. get zero due at signing, zero down, zero deposit, and zero first month's payment on any new 2014 volkswagen. hurry, this offer ends january 2nd. for details, visit vwdealer.com today same with aladdin. the biggest in bail. no one has lower prices, is faster or more professional. aladdin bail bonds. bigger because we're better. >>> the bay area facing a spare the air alert, that means mow wood burning unless it is your only source of heat. ktvu's john fowler reports who can burn wood in fire places. john? >> reporter: officials say rural marine county court natural gas could have the worse winter air because of wood smoke. >> reporter: from the headlands you could see a dense haze today blanketing the bay area. >> we had a stubborn w

nasa took to twitter to up doubt the mission.'s space walked ended after a five hour 28 minutes excursion, the crew second scheduled to go back out monday and install a new ammonia pump. it was the first space walk since july when an italian astro now the nearly drowned after a leak in his suit filled his helmet with water this. time they rigged snorkels in their suits so they could breathe if it happened again and it didn't. nasa says they are on track for the next phase of the repair. >> this is the first space walk in months, earlier i spoke with sarah a professor of science at the nasa institute of technology and i asked her just about the prepare process. >> i want people know it's not a real emergency, like it has been reported in some places in the news. it's more like an urgent situation. >> tell me more about the snorkels frank life. as i mentioned this is the first space walk since that italian astronaut had water filling up his helmet. what did nasa do to try to get around that and make sure it would not happen again?

nasa is spending $3 million to study how congress works.ment for the humanities received nearly $1 million since 2010 to explore the origins of popular romance media. estimates show that more than twice that will be spent on publicity and marketing. yet coburn doesn't blame the agencies. he blames congress. >> most members of congress are more interested in getting themselves re-elected than they are in fixing what's wrong with the country. >> unbelievable, isn't it? coburn spares neither republicans nor the democrats. he names one title, the senate majority leader. coburn saying harry reid's refusal to adhere to regular order and bring appropriation bills to the floor contributes to congress' lack of oversight of federal government spending in 2013. >>> okay, as we get closer to christmas, santa and his workshop making a quick stop here in d.c. to check in with hundreds of youngsteres who are anxiously awaiting to see if he will help make christmas wishes come true. the city does dress up for the holiday and pauses to capture the spirit of

. >> i'm wishing the entities that are listening -- >> when they come to america, they have got nasa and the rocket. >> his way meant risking everything. >> about a week's worth of cash in the bank or less. i took all the capital i had left and invested that in tesla or it would have died. >> others are not willing to take a chance on him or his company. you put $90 billion into solar and wind, solyndra, tesla. you do not just pick the winners and losers. you pick the losers. >> electric vehicles are really not possible in ways that it would be effective. >> but his bet paid off. we did not just repay the principal, but with interest. ultimately the u.s. taxpayers made a profit of over $20 million on this. >> elon musk has bigger dreams that might take him father than anyone else. >> elon musk takes it a step further. >> i would like to go to mars. >> when i was a little kid, i was really scared of the dark. but darkness means absense of photons in the physical -- >> it is hard to believe he was ever afraid of anything. >> darkness is merely the absence of light. >> i was afraid of a

. >> but first one child's mission could save nasa. what he's doing to get the president's attention. ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, idaho. the >>> dozens of dogs rescued in california are now on their way to idaho. the front street animal shelter in sacramento says it typically takes in about 10,000 animals a year. and the shelter refuses to euthanize if it's a time or space issue. and in this case, a nonprofit organization called wings of rescue is making sure the dogs will be saved. >> we get a second chance at a life. so we did hire this aircraft that cost about $9,500 firefighter flight but we're -- for the flight but we're saving 80 dogs. >> they are now on their way to idaho humane society where there's a high demand for small canines. >>> search for life on mars is turning up some good news. it's the strongest evidence yet that a fresh water lake may have existed on the red planet. science journal says the nasa curiosity rover made the discovery in a large crater. for decades though scientists have known there was water on mars but now they

nasa plans to capture and relocate asteroids in the space. the asteroids could be used for natural resources or as elevator to space. >> a spacecraft has reached the moon. the china spacecraft landed today and will embark on a three-month mission. they eventually plan to land people on the moon. >>> for a check on the weather, let's get to leigh glaser. >> finally starting to fall -- thaw out a little bit today. temperatures in the mid-to-upper 60s, live doppler 7hd showing you a little light fog, low cloudiness right near the coast, and that will move in right near point reyes, possibly near the golden gate bridge later this evening, tomorrow morning. so, it shouldn't hang around too long so expect plenty of sunshine tomorrow. here's a look at our highs for today. warmed up nicely. santa rosa, 64 degrees. 66 in cloverdale. 58, san rafael. san francisco, 61. 59 today in antioch, and 62 today in san jose. here's a live look from our emeryville cam. you can definitely see the air quality once again. it's a no-burn night tonight, and we're looki

. >>> an update on the walk for the nasa space station. why nasa delayed one of those walks, coming up. stick with technology. get the new flexcare platinum from philips sonicare and save now. philips sonicare. >>> nasa postponed today's scheduled space walk on the international space station meaning astronauts will be hard at work on christmas eve. tomorrow crews will try to complete work on a broken cooling line. nasa had to push back the space walk after one astronaut hit a water switch in an air lock over the weekend. water could have gotten into his space suit. nasa reports that otherwise the first space walk on saturday went well. this is marking the second time nasa has conducted a christmas eve space walk. >>> and on this day in 1972, fans witnessed one of the most famous plays ever in nfl history. the immaculate reception. with the season on the line, pittsburgh steelers fank -- frank harris scooped up the ball and run in for a score. some argue that the ball did hit the ground and to this day some fans say the raiders won fair an

nasa has spent months inspecting the suit and helmet and replacing internal components. but just in case, nasa has returned to the in-house ingenuity made famous in apollo 13. >> we've got to find a way to make this fit in the hole for this using nothing but that. >> reporter: on saturday, the astronauts will wear a pad and a snorkel. >> if water is encroaching your face, the crew member can lean down and use this to breathe. >> reporter: an urgent mission and a lingering fear after a very close call. each spacewalk will last six and a half hours. replacing that failed cooling pump is urgent, because if the second pump goes down, they'll have to abandon the station. they'll get two more walks scheduled for monday and then wednesday. >> tom, thanks. >>> it has been almost five years now since the official end of the great recession, but the lingering question has been, is the economy now strong enough to grow on its open without help from the federal reserve. today the fed said it's finally ready to start pulling back a bit on what's known at stimulus, injecting money int

now nasa has ordered three urgent space walks, one on christmas day. abc's neal karlinsky with the breaking details. >> reporter: it wasn't an easy decision, but tonight nasa says a series of dangerous space walks will be necessary to get the international space station back in working order. the two american astronauts on board, rick mastracchio and michael hopkins will suit out and head out at 5:15 a.m. saturday for a six-hour mission to repair the troubled cooling system which keeps the station from overheating. >> they're designed to take away the heat that's generated and to regulate the temperature of the mechanisms and of the environment for the astronauts. >> reporter: astronaut doug wheelock performed a similar mission three years ago and knows what they're up against. >> any time we open that hatch i get asked a lot is it dangerous. as soon as we open that hatch, it automatically becomes dangerous. >> reporter: the last time nasa performed a space walk, the astronaut nearly drowned when water leaked into his helmet. >> my head is really wet.

we're following live pictures from nasa tv.outside trying to wrap up some emergency or playerrepairs. the first was jut 14 years ago. this space walk is the second one in the last four days. the u.s. and s astronauts rick mastracchio and michael hopkins. they both removed a faulty ammonia pomps at the international space station during saturday's outing. maligned taken a look at weather and traffic. >> i know how much a light snow, but i do not think we will see a need for christmas. we are talking about the temperatures approaching 70 degrees. right now, the temperatures are mainly in the 30's and 40's. 47 degrees currently in san francisco. as we head to the afternoon, by 3:00 p.m. will see upper 60s. the south bay may have some of the warmest greetings. campbell will have a high of 69 degrees. mid 60's for the santa rosa and ballet. >> expect a hazy sunshine. we have a spare the air alert in effect. upper 60s today for oakland. into tomorrow, will miss the warmer weather for the afternoon. >> you are waking up, open your pre

nasa says he was never in any danger. there was no harm that could have been caused by this issue with the suit still. they want to swap suits before the astronauts head back out. >> just want to verify there are nor exposed, correct? >> astronauts on a mission to make repairs at the international space station spent 5 1/2 hours saturday on a high stakes space walk and will do it again christmas eve. >> we're got d good with that. >> if you thought your holidays had high drama, it doesn't compare. >> i don't know if guys believe in miracles but i got the lynchpin on the first try. >> that's awesome, rick. >> it's sort of like a really complex ballet with only two performers. >> the astronauts mick mastracchio and michael hopkins have already successfully a faulty push needed to cool equipment on the space station. >> i got it. >> nice work, rick. >> a new pump was supposed to be installed today but will be delayed until tomorrow after a potential problem with nas trackio's space suit was discovered saturday. >> the only i

three million dollars for nasa to study how congress works.h that one. 17.5 million in tax deduction for legal brothels because hey, they need a break too, right. >> it is hard work. the reason it is hard work to cut spending because somebody's ox gets goard. somebody doesn't get money. what does that translate into? it translate somebody is not happy with me at home, which translates into what the real problem is, most members of congress are more interested in getting themselves reelected than fixing what is wrong with the country. martha: maybe he has a point. there was also spending on the study whether marriages can be improved if wife just calm down during arguments? bill: you need ad study for that? martha: i'm sorry? bill: you needed to spend money for that? >> if wives would just calm down oh help me. bill: known that for some time, right? martha: have we? what are you trying to say? what are you trying to say? don't tell me to calm down! bill: no study required. don't spend money on it either. >>> growing controversy over the strip s

how he plans to save nasa. blocking emergency vehicles is against the law.anley roberts finds plenty of people behaving badly. >> pam: and we'll show you why you might want to find alternate transportation if you plan to go to a 49er game in santa clara. that's next. avo: the volkswagen "sign then drive" sales event is back. which means it's never been easier to get a new 2014 jetta. it gets an impressive 34 highway mpg and comes with no charge scheduled maintenance. and right now you can drive one home for practically just your signature. sign. then drive. get zero due at signing, zero down, zero deposit, and zero first month's payment on any new 2014 volkswagen. hurry, this offer ends january 2nd. visit vwdealer.com today and why can you move the tv out here? the wireless receiver. i got that when i switched to u-verse. but why? because it's so much better than cable. it's got more hd channels, more dvr space. yeah, but i mean, how did you know? i researched. no, i-i told you. no. yeah! no. the important part is that you're happy now. and i got you this vi

nasa engineers scrambling all night to save the space station.n a risky spacewalk? >>> breaking right now. eight people plucked out of the ocean, after a commuter plane crashed just after takeoff. inside the coast guard's frantic rescue. >>> misinterpretation. the shocking confession from the man who was called a fake for signing incorrectly in front of millions during nelson mandela's memorial. hear what he says really happened. >>> let's stop talking and do some walking. >> from kid president to blurred lines. it's the overnight youtube sensation, mashing up all of your favorite viral moments of th

other teams competing were from nasa, m.i.t. and carnegie mellon. the final winner will be pick after another round of challenges late next year. >>> time to get a check on the weather going into the christmas week and it was warm today. >> it was warm. south lake tahoe, a record high of 61 degrees. that may not sound like 151 but quite mild for south lake. lined up with 7 hd right now. not picking up any returns at all. we're seeing a little high cloudiness off the coast. that's about it. this time, yesterday morning, he with did have some pockets of fog develop. near the coast. and some of the inland areas, we may see that again only the so keep that in mind. especially if you're doing some early morning travel. here are some highs for today. 74 was the high in cloverdale. 60 in san rafael. what a difference. that's where that cool pocket of air settled in the valley areas. san francisco, 64 and this was a record that was tied for this date. a 67-degree. temperature running from 5 to as much as 10 degrees above where we should be for this time of

in a statement nasa said at no time was the crew or the station itself in any danger. some noncritical systems have been powered down. engineers are now evaluating whether the problem is software related or a hardware issue which could require a space walk to install a replacement pump. >> they have three spares on board. if they had to do a space walk, they could swap these units out but that's a big deal. >> reporter: because space walks can be risky. back in july an italian astronaut's helmet suddenly started to fill up with water. >> i feel water on the back of my head. >> reporter: it's still unclear whether this mission will require a space walk, but until nasa solves the problem, the space station will remain at least partially out of commission. >> they've had to shut down a lot of their science gear, some of their nonessential equipment. again, that's not what you want to do if you're up there to do science. you want to have all this stuff running and get it fixed. >> the current space station is scheduled to fly till next march. howard is up with the forecast

. >>> nasa has scheduled at least two spacewalks for the crew aboard the international space station to fix a broken cooling system. one of two such systems failed last week prompting nasa to shut down nonessential equipment in science experiments. the first spacewalk is saturday and the second monday. if the repair doesn't work and the remain system fails, the space station crew would have to return to earth. nasa says the folks will work. >>> janet napolitano will lead the opening ceremony in the winter olympics in russia. also named to the delegation is this woman, tennis great billie jean king, who is openly gay. some say it's a move by the president to show the nation's opposition to russia's anti- "gay propaganda" law. >> it's certainly not as dramatic or an outright rupture in the way that a boycott would be. but i think it's meant to send a very clear-cut signal of u.s. disapproval. >> this will mark the first time in 14 years that no current or former president, vice president or first lady will join the u.s. at the olympics. >>> giving a pet as a christmas gift is often tho

the latest from nasa and why a space walk may be next. >>> safety first.at. new questions, does it go far enough? >> i'm concerned there's going to be no change. they could continue to misuse antibiotics as they have been. >> the debate over antibiotics meat and millions of americans catching drug-resistant infections. >>> the closet of the future available now. the latest fashions and cosmetics appearing almost like magic. >> started to make shopping easier and remove barriers for shopping on-line or even in the store. >> it could change the way we shop. it is thursday, december 12th. >> announcer: from abc news, this is "world news now" with john muller and diana perez. >> good thursday morning, everybody. i could take a magical closet. >> it would be nice and make life easy. it never fits right. >> i don't know if wearing it virtually will do it. >> if they could make it work right. i'd like it. >> you want to know the way it feels. >> exactly right. the way it hangs, yes. >> we will get to it. >> we will get to that but first the problem aboard the int

but last july, nasa came very close to losing an astronaut. for many it drove home the message that stakes on space walks are very high. lester. >> tom costello, the next space walk will happen on christmas eve. we're joined by steven robinson now, former astronaut and veteran of three space walks who retired last year from nasa after 36 years. thanks so much for being here. help me understand the urgency of this mission. if you lose all of your cooling on the space station, what happens? >> it's not good at all to lose the cooling an a space station because everything on the space station runs with electrical power. electricity running in an engine or computer generates heat. one of the critical elements is the ability to get rid of the heat. if you can't get rid of the heat you have to stop generating heat which means you have to turn everything off which means you have to go home. >> take me up there. give me an idea what it's like. you're doing this highly technical mission. you're going through a lot of physical stress. you have the earth

nasa says the screw not in danger.lem looking for way to fix it without a space walk. # >>> the food and drug administration reveals a new plan for a way to cut down on the use of antibiotics in animals. they call the overuse a threat to public health. it is a factor in creating drug-resistant superbugs killing you 23,000 americans every year. dr. william schaffner is the head of the department at vanderbilt. good morning. >> good morning, charlie. >> how are they going to crackdown? what will they do? >> use it to augment growth in animals, so what that is going to do is have the manufacturers voluntarily relabel those antibiotics so they can't require it over the counter. they're going to require a veterinarian's prescription on specific medications and voluntarily phase this in over the next three years. >> europeans have been concerned about it longer than americans. we are getting forward to this a bit late. thanchs is exactly right. the europeans have done this successfully 15 years ago. >> but in fact, doctor, i

. >> still ahead-- on a mission to save nasa. little boy gets the call of a lifetime. >> disturbing new details to what about the phony signer who found his way on the stage at nelson mandela's memorial service. >> more on one of tonight's memorial service. >> more on one of tonight's top st [ female announcer ] here's to a whole world of happier holidays. time to enchant, delight and amaze. safeway will help you gather everyone 'round. a smoked, shank half ham is only 99 cents a pound. with starbucks at $6.99, serve coffee everyone savors. top it off with coffee-mate... just $2.79 for all kinds of flavors. turns out this season less is really so much more. so make your holiday merrier than ever before. safeway. ingredients for life. and why can you move the tv out here? the wireless receiver. i got that when i switched to u-verse. but why? because it's so much better than cable. it's got more hd channels, more dvr space. yeah, but i mean, how did you know? i researched. no, i-i told you. no. yeah! no. the important part is that

connor johnson with a mission to save nasa.heck this out next. ♪ bill: today's edition of check this out, a six-year-old boy getting ready to launch literally. he wants to be an astronaut. we started a online petition on the white house website calling on congress to restore funding for the nasa space program. connor is with us live with his parents out there in denver, colorado, eric and lauren. how are you doing out there, johnson family? connor, you have taken on quite a mission. thank you for your time and welcome to our program. connor, i want to know why you're so interested in space? why is that? >> well because i'm, i've always wanted to fly and, and graph "gravity" so i can fly in space and loved rockets. bill: you have a nasa theme throughout our life. you have got a space shuttle and planet earth costume and all your toys are like rockets. so what is it about act an astronaut that captures your imagination? >> well it is like a bigger world out there. like, like it is just, like it's just so different. like, i would

what nasa worries could go wrong. >>> the instant hero. a beer delivery man making his rounds, spots trouble and springs into action to help a car full of kids. what he did to save the day. >>> shopping surprise. beyonce drops in on walmart. mingling with customers and spreading loads of holiday cheer. >> merry, merry christmas. from beyonce. >> what she did next that drove holiday shoppers wild. >>> good morning, everybody. i'm trying to put myself in the shoes of those walmart shoppers in boston. you're loading detergent in your cart. and here comes beyonce walking down the aisle. coming up, the gift she gave hundreds of people in that store. and the shopping she did for herself. >> all i'm saying is thank goodness there was a camera there. i don't think anybody would have believed somebody calling them and saying, guess who i just saw here. >> there are cell phone cameras everywhere now. we caught it from multiple angles. >> she never ceases to surprise us. >>> four people were arrested in a deadly carjacking at a mall in new jersey las

these students now will be the ones that are taking these rockets that nasa's working on to destinations unknown. >> [ cheers ] >> at the closing ceremony, there were trophies to celebrate, as well as new friendships. >> i think my favorite part about global finals is interacting with all the students from all over the world. it's just a really incredible experience, very diverse, and everybody is really excited to talk to each other and interact with each other. and i think it's awesome. [ all cheer ] >> if d.i. seems awesome to you, check out the link on our website. it has information on how to start your own team. [ cheers and applause ] for those of you who might need some encouragement, here's a fitting quote to keep in mind -- "if you can imagine it, you can achieve it." >> this week's driving tip is brought to you by the national

math is -- nasa is only the most space station company i have known for a very long time. >> put him in touch with space x. so far, connor's petition has more than 6,000 signatures. he needs 100,000 to get a response from the white house. i think he'll get a response to matter what. >> i think you're right. >>> they call it food porn. how the mouth-watering pictures on instagram can change the way we eat. ,,,,,,,,,, posting pictures of everythg they eat? it may be annoying.. but on the consumerwatch, julie was says you may want to thank them... for he u to t . >>> all right. you have a friend who's constantly posting pictures of everything they eat? >> we were just talking about this. we all do. it's kind of annoying to some of us. on the consumer watch, julie watts says you might want to thank them because they're helping you lose weight. >> there was a study out of boston university which basically they gave pictures, about 50 pictures of food to all their volunteers. we will get the video as soon as we can. they show this video -- excuse me, pictures of a self-ie and they show pic

nasa is scaling back after finding a problem with the cooling system. officials may decide an emergency spacewalk is needed. joining me is john zerella on the phone. it broke late today, this, and it's not the first time we had to do repair work of this nature. how big a threat is it potentially? can it get worse quickly? >> well, probably not, piers. you know, they have it under control. they have two of these cooling pumps on the international space station, one of them, this morning stopped working suddenly. they were able to get it restarted again.

but the united states, the nasa nasa clearly is the only game in town when it comes to deep space explorationt the orion capsule being readied. they're going to do a test flight hopefully the end of 2014. but that's go to be the way the united states goes to an asteroid or mars is going to be with nasa, not these private low earth orbit ventures like branson or spacex. >> john, would you pay money if you had it to go to space? >> i would try to raise the money. i don't think -- maybe get somebody to send me. pay for me to go. that would be nice. no, i would absolutely go. had the opportunity, i'd be there in a second. >> we'll do a little fund raiser for you. start selling cookies. thanks, john. good to see you. >>> evander holyfield going to bulgaria to help out syrian refugees. here's why. >> they won't be asking about how many championships i won. they'll say what did you do for the least of them. i can say this is what -- i was in bulgaria. >> going to tell you about the former boxing champ's new fight coming up next. [ male announcer ] it's simple physics... a body at rest tends to stay

nasa said they still have not found a root cause but they're confidence in giving it to mikes watkinsfor the spacewalk. >> this right here is a helen absorption pad. it's modified absorbent pad that will go on the back of the helmet. >> reporter: they will attempt to complete the mission on saturday and monday's spacewalks. but if necessary a third is scheduled for christmas day. al jazeera. >> so here to talk about any potential challenges, fingers we smithsonian national air and space museum. tell us take the excess heat aws you would in your house or your car. it is a serious issue. they do have a backup but you don't want to rely on the backup. you want to have two things working in redundancy if you can. >> this was not a scheduled spacewalk. are there any inherent dangers, challenges, with this kind of an impromptu mission? >> well, it wasn't scheduled but they have err hersed these things many, many times. they know about the pump. they've practiced replacing pumps before. so that part i think they are ready for. there is obviously lots of things that you have to watch out for