mother of the kennedy image. there are books available about all of these first ladies about whom you have heard here at the society. i would be happy to sign mine, and i would just like to say, we have about ten minutes or so if you have questions. please feel free to ask. who would like to throughout the first question? >> yes. >> can you touch upon how she handles when all this was going on as far as. [inaudible] >> the question is, did i touch upon the so-called scandals or improprieties, particularly of her husband. is that test upon a my butt. of course. this is a book of scholarship, history, a fact. and so one cannot ignore that. in fact, what i think she was trying to do the week after the assassination was get out in front of those stories. now, there is a whole book called the dark side of camelot written by investigative reporters who came out in the late nineties. and it is about this. if one wants chapter and verse of the improprieties, and fidelity's of the president on the personal side as well as

kennedy is dressed. some said the previous first ladies to her like eleanor roosevelt or mamie eisenhower for beth truman or rather matronly in their appearance with old-fashioned suits or dresses and hats. look at mrs. kennedy. it was not that common for women to wear sleeveless attire in those days to a formal event. now we take that for granted and mrs. obama has brought the sleeveless dress back into vogue but jackie kennedy does that from the beginning. and note the color. a vibrant bright pink rather than dark somber suits or dresses and full sleeves or a little doubt the hat. i say she could wear this hat to the kentucky derby and be in style. this gives her husband another boost of symbolism of youth and fashion. we know what one of the other elements she is famous for is redecorating, restoring the white house. when i was doing my research for this book are called the curator of the white house in the 1990s and told her i was writing a book and jacqueline kennedy and i was interested in mrs. kennedy's restora

turnover the kennedy occurred at landing plus an hour, nominal time. emperature, the landing hatch was open at 628, about 31 minutes after landing. and our first crew member was off. it was mission specialist number two, rex walheim. he was off at 6:37. he was followed by sandy magnus, then our pilot, commander chris ferguson left atlanta's at 6:45. and payloads report they now are on board the orbiter. and as we heard, all of the ground cooling are connected as we can see here on atlantis. the weather forecast from the runway back to the orbiter processing facility has just been passed to the ground team out on the runway, and the toe is expected to begin at about 10:00, completed about an hour later at 11. it's going to get hot very quickly. here is the crew transport vehicle now pulling back away from atlantis. with the for astronauts onboard. they will be getting a brief physical before they leave the crew transport vehicle and walk around atlantis. and the weather forecast for the tow will be quite warm, once that tow begins. already up to 94 degre

our kristin fisher is heading to the kennedy space center for this launch. it leads up to the final blastoff scheduled for 11:26 friday morning. when it is done with space travel, atlantis will be put on display at the kennedy space center in florida. here in our region, we'll be getting "discovery." the shuttle will go to the center near dulles airport. it took its final flight this past february and it is the first shuttle to be retired. nasa is making sure "discovery" is ready for museum life. >> we've taken care of her for all of these years. it will be hard for many people to realize we're no longer responsible for that. someone else has to do that for us. it will be a big change for some folks. >> nasa will make sure the shuttle is free of any dangerous chemicals or classified equipment. no timetable for when it will make its smithsonian debut. >> i'm going to be down there as well. >> kristin has a unique perspective, being the daughter of two astronauts. her mother and father. they flew in the shuttle. you're going back. >> i hope to see it. i tried t

the job. manuel gallegus reports from kennedy space center on a day that is emotional on so many levels. >> piercing the predawn skies... >> reporter: two earth-shaking sonic booms, a smooth touchdown in predawn darkness. >> whoo! [ applause ] >> reporter: and retirement for the shuttle fleet and its 30 years of american manned space flight. >> we copy, we'll stop and take this opportunity to congratulate you atlantis as well as the thousands of passionate individuals across this great space faring nation. >> reporter: from the landing strip, atlantis was towed across the kennedy space center, a sort of farewell parade for nasa employees. here at the kennedy space center, there is a strong sense of relief that the final shuttle mission was safe and successful but for some 2,000 employees it's time to look for work. >> it's where they bring the solid racket motor segments in. >> reporter: at 59 years old, glen davis is looking for a job. >> you don't realize when you're sit there is looking at the computer yourself that there's, you know, thousands of other people looking for that same computer scree

the last time ever. a dark shot, but that is a shot of kennedy space center right now. e word of the day. surprise, surprise, got to do with space. a phrase, it says "words are wheels stop." find out what they mean and why you need to know it after this. >>> and there it is. on the right of your screen. that is the space shuttle "atlantis" now in visual range of the kennedy space center. 54 minutes after the hour. two minutes to landing. back to our word of the day. it's wheel stop, a phrase from nasa. it's a phrase that will be uttered by the commander, chris ferguson, when the orbiter comes to a stop on the runway. it will be said once, and it will be the last time it is heard. that's when the space shuttle lands, when these words come out of chris ferguson's mouth today, it will signal the official end of the space shuttle program. that's it for "a.m. wake-up call." a special edition of "american morning" starts right now. >>> this is cnn breaking news. >> good morning, we are now starting "american morning." a few minutes early, witnessing history. this is breaking n

. >>> the space shuttle "atlantis" is about two hours from landing at the kennedy space station. the crew will fire the engines to re-enter the atmosphere and end america's 30-year shuttle program. those are the headlines from cnn. i'm monita rajpal. "world business today" starts right now. >> a warm welcome to "world business today." >> these are the top stories on thursday, july 21st. nickly sarkozy and angela merkel see eye-to-eye ahead of debt crisis talks in europe. >> the same can't be said in the united states, where legislators are considering a short-term fix to the borrowing limit debacle. >>> and for all the talk of tablets, don't write off the p.c. just yet. we'll talk to intel on how it's bucking the trends in the tech sector. >>> first, leaders of the euro are racing against the clock to talk about the economies. this as an emergency summit gets under way in brussels today. there's two, pressing issues to be resolved here. one, the terms of a second bailout package for greece and also a way to keep the crisis contained to prevent it from spilling over to larger e.u.

we're coming to you live from the kennedy space center. i'm erica hill along with chris wragge who is in new york. we look at a live picture there of the launch pad ready to go. >> so much buildup. at the mercy of mother nature and that is the big story all morning but looks like things look pretty good around you right now so our fingers are crossed and hoping for the best. >> consensus is positive. as for this morning's scheduled law firm we don't know if mother nature will cooperate but we are watching closely. cbs news correspondent bob orr has the latest for us this hour on the launch. >> reporter: "atlantis" is ready to go. no technical issues. the astronauts are now strapped into the spacecraft. the weather is still iffy and the launch is still uncertain. despite diminishing hopes for a friday liftoff, nasa overnight pumping 500,000 of liquid fuel in the large orange external tank of shuttle lnts"atlantis." they are continuing their final preparations for launch but for the past two days the weather at kennedy space center has been h

nhk has the details from the kennedy space center. >> reporter: over the past 30 years, the space shuttle has delivered vast volumes of supplies and large equipment to the international space station. "atlantis" this time is carrying a device that will be used in an experiment. it will test refueling satellites to prolong their lives. this will be the last time that a device this large will be delivered into space until a new spacecraft becomes available to replace the shuttles. >> this is critical technology that needs to be demonstrated now. we can't wait another five years to demonstrate this technology. it's critical to be on this last shuttle flight. >> reporter: under normal conditions, this mission would not have been allowed under nasa rules. after the space shuttle "columbia" broke up in midair as it was returning to earth in 2003, the space agency introduced a new rule. it required that a reserve spacecraft always be on standby to be used to rescue the crew of the iss in the event of trouble on the shuttle. but there is no shuttle on standby for this launch. instead, a russian s

for many who work at the kennedy space center, it is a bittersweet moment. in this report, we hear from one veteran of the space program who reveled in his decades of duty. >> my name is paul, and just retired after 45 years working at the kennedy space center. >> and the shuttle has cleared the tower. >> all launches i have seen have always been exciting. it is a magnificent flying machine. even though you have worked on them and seen them for so many years, is still an amazing machine. when i first went out there, i worked indian farmer to control systems. -- in the environmental control systems. it's applied to clean air for the apollo spacecraft. it was exciting. everybody who worked there was excited to be there, just pioneering everything we did. i was lucky enough to be chosen to work on the lunar rover. the first vehicle that came down here did not have any american flags. they sent a package of five flags. i carefully put four on offenders. asked the astronaut office if they would autograph the spare, so they did. i still have that flag and i am very

i'm scott pelley at the kennedy space center. bs news all around the world, good night.

>> terrell brown at the kennedy space center. thanks. >>> let's get more on this morning's historic landing on cbs's consultant bill randall. good morning, bill. >> good moving, randall. >> the shuttle comes to an end after three decades. what in your opinion have been the most significant accomplishments? >> you know, when you look back over the last 30 years the shuttle has been operating it's hard to pin down one thing. it was the only one ever built and of course this is the only manned spacecraft that gave anyone a chance go up and work on a satellite, retrieve it as we all saw with the hubble space telescope, the ability to repair the telescope and turn it into one of the world's premier observatories. i think all the mechanisms they did to make it work will be the hall mark of the shuttle program, plus, randall, the sheer grandeur, the sheer rocket boosters and fire and thunder will be things people will miss. >> not to mention the technical achievement of so many moving parts. another question now, what is nasa's next plan

for many who work at the kennedy space center, this is a bittersweet moment. we hear from one veteran of the space program who revels in his decades there. >> my name is paul sharp. i just retired from 45 years from working at the kennedy space center. >> the shuttle has cleared the tower. >> all the launches i have seen have been expected. it is a magnificent flying machine. you sit there in all even though you have worked on them and seen them for so many years. it is still an amazing machine. when i first announced that i worked on the environmental control system that supplied the controlled air for the apollo spacecraft. it was very exciting. everyone who worked here was excited to be part of it. we were pioneering what you could do. i was lucky enough to be chosen to work on the lunar rover. the first vehicle that came down here did not have any american flags on the fenders. they sent a package of five flags. i carefully put four on the fenders. i asked the astronaut office if they would autograph despair. they did. both the primary and backup crew. i st

. >> reporter: at the kennedy space center, there were cheers and some tears for the 135th and final mission. >> it's one of the most amazing things i have ever seen in my entire life. i'm so emotional. >> i was crying. there is no doubt about it. i can't help it. >> reporter: for this 36th trip to the space station, only four astronauts journeyed instead of the usual six or seven. this time, there is no backup shuttle in case of emergency. it's up tout russians to provide -- it's up to the russians to provide any rescue. the shuttle commander paid tribute to everyone at nasa. >> the shuttle is always going to be a reflection of what a great nation can do when it dares to be bold. >> reporter: for thousands of nasa employees, once atlantis returns to earth in 12 days they will be out of work and the job losses reach across the country. jim is the head of california- based rocketzine which makes the shuttle's liquid rocket engines. now 300 of its scientists are out of work. >> the shuttle sending and we don't know what's next. >> reporter: so far nasa hasn't revealed exactly what it h

reporting tonight from the kennedy space center. >> pelley: good evening. y for the last time america reached for the heavens with its space shuttle. "atlantis," the last in the fleet, roared aloft o

tonight "atlantis" is on the launch pad and bob orr is at the kennedy space center. bob, what are the prospects for launch tomorrow? >> reporter: well, scott, "atlantis" is all ready to go, as you say, but things here really are not very good. for the past couple of days, frankly, the weather has been horrible. we had thunderstorms go across the kennedy space center earlier today and just after noon we noticed a couple large lightning strikes in the area. and we found out later one of them apparently hit the top of the launch support structure, and that caused nasa engineers to go and take a look and see if there were any problems. we don't think there are any, but they're still checking systems. the bigger problem here is really tomorrow, where we expect more rain, maybe winds, maybe lightning. nasa, looking at the forecast, says there's only a 30% chance the shuttle will get off, and even some people say that might be optimistic, scott. >> pelley: bob, what's the mission all about? >> reporter: it's all about the last big haul of material up to the international spa

i'm scott pelley at the kennedy space center. bs news all around the world, good night. captioning sponsored by cbs captioned by media access group at wgbh access.wgbh.org the bay area city enlisting ordinary citizens, to do the work of cops. >>> and new at 6:00, they have a badge but they will not carry guns. the bay area city enlisting ordinary citizens to do the work of cops. >>> take about 10 minutes, and yeah, then they can be part of a really exciting private network. >> making sure we're ready for the big one. the tiny new tool that lets you be a seismologist in your own home. >>> catch and release. it's the law of the sea for a protected fish. but strange things happen when some of them are caught. why the rules meant it save them are killing them instead.

the desk. >>> well, nasa's space shuttle program is over. we want to give you a live look from kennedy space center right now. you can see a press conference just starting there as they talk about this historic day this morning. certainly a bittersweet moment for the people who are have watched this shuttle program over the last decades and today it comes to an end. i wonder can we listen in for a minute? we see what they're talking about over at the kennedy space center in florida as they talk about this final mission. >>> thank you, charlie, we really appreciate those remarks. i'll tell you what, you know flying in space is a real dream, but flying in space has a lot more to do with who you do it with than what you do. and these three folks, rex and sandy and doug, i'll tell you, a commander couldn't ask for three better people to go and perform an aggressive and to a certain extent historic mission. there's no doubt that there was a lot of attention paid to this mission because it does bring to a final close 30 years of space shuttle history. i'm going to speak on behalf of them and

here now, the sights and sounds as "atlantis" came to a wheel stop on runway 15 at the kennedy space gear down and locked. having fired the imagination of a generation, a ship like no other, its place in history secured, the space shuttle pulls into port for the last time, its voyage at an end. >> after serving the world for over 30 years, the space shuttle has earned its place in history and has come to a final stop. >> we copy your wheel stop. we'll take this opportunity to congratulate you, "atlantis," as well as the thousands of passionate individuals across this great space-faring nation who truly empowered this incredible space craft which for three decades has inspired millions around the globe. job well done, america. >> great words. great words. the space shuttle changed the way we view the world, changed the way we view our universe. a lot of emotion today but america is not going to stop exploring. thank you, "columbia," and thank you for bringing this program to such a fitting end. god bless the united states of america. >> reporter: for "atlantis," this was the 33rd miss

. >>> i'm reporting from the kennedy space center. earlier today thousands upon thousands of people lined the atlantic coast to witness the last launch of an american icon as the space shuttle "atlantis" blasted off for the last time. >> when liftoff, the final liftoff of "atlantis." on the shoulders of the space shutting, america continues the dream. >> "atlantis" will rendezvous and bring a year's worth of supplies to the six currently aboard before returning to earth to officially mark the end of the program. after 30 years why is the space shuttle coming to an end? what will nasa's next great adventure be? here's a special report from john zarrella "beyond "atlantis,"" the next frontier. >> we want the main entrance. >> shuttle has cleared the tower. >> a spacecraft that launches like a rocket and lands like a plane. the beginning of a remarkable era. >> what we did dwarfed what was done. >> when 135 missions later it is being eliminated. what's next? could commercial space travel be on the horizon. hello. i'm john skah real la. th

the bay's" jay gray. i'm very impressed. it's an amazing morning here at kennedy space center and also emotional morning as you might imagine. the touchdown was beautiful, it was picture perfect as was the entire mission. so many people proud of what they accomplished on this final flight. the final trip to the international space station for a shuttle. this is the spacecraft that helped build that space station and launched and repaired the hubble telescope, so many experiments and really expanding the boundaries of what we know and what we can do. it's also a sad time for so many who dedicated so much of their lives to this over the last three decades. as they see this chapter in american space exploration come to a close and the uncertainty of what will come next. nasa will focus on deep space work but that won't be manned for sometime. they hope to encounter an asteroid and mars in the next 20 years but again, not manned flight. any of the low orbit man flight like the shuttle was involved with will come through private companies now. private industry, contrac

"atlantis" now 15 miles in altitude and already 16 miles down range from the kennedy space center and 1:40 already into the flight. "atlantis" flexing its muscles one final time. "atlantis" traveling almost 2600 miles an hour at 21 miles in altitude, and 24 miles down range and standing by for solid rocket booster separation. booster officer confirms staging, and a good solid rocket booster separation, and guidance is converging and the main engine steering the shuttle on a pinpoint path to the preliminary orbit. 2:20 into the flight, "atlantis" already traveling 3200 miles an hour, and 50 miles down range. the propulsion officer reports the orbital maneuvering system has ignited and they are kicking on the afterburners for one minute for the phase of afterflight. >> "atlantis," tower. >> go ahead. >> plus to ato and 10.8, and 14.7. >> 10.8 and 14.7. >> that is a good readback, "atlantis." >> because of the slightly launch time, they are reading up to doug hurley, the pilot, the boundaries of "atlantis" which is flying on the singular power of the three main engines from the shuttle's

we are live at the kennedy space center here in florida. n clock over my shoulder, it has not started yet but we are expecting that space shuttle "atlantis" to take off, the planned takeoff is 11:26 eastern. we have weather issues but we're not sure how that's going to go. we are all here for it. maybe up to a million people in the area to watch this launch. two self-proclaimed space geeks, though, have a front seat for history. sarah and -- sarah and todd are two of the winners of nasa's tweet up contest. they're getting a chance to watch the final shuttle launch live and in person and they're with me now. welcome to both of you. congratulations. tell us what this tweet up contest was. >> sure. so we -- there are around i think 5,000 of us who submitted sort of brief application to nasa and 150 of us were chosen. it was -- you're all soorrt of enthusiasts but not connected to the space program. >> just general space nerds. >> we all follow nasa and like to get the updated information from them. >> you got here a couple nights early. you're

a live look from the kennedy space center. 1 million people gather to go watch, but bad weather could delay the historic launch. nbc's jay gray is live at the launch. good morning to you. >> reporter: good morning, eun. they are still watching the clouds hanging over pad 39a right now. weather watchers telling us still 70% no go at this point, but they continue to work through final preparations, getting ready in case there is a break in the clouds. those clouds you talked about, they are beginning to assemble. people camping overnight to try to get the best spot they could for a chance to get one last glimpse at history here. they'll continue to watch and see how things unfold here at the space coast. they'll have a meeting in about 15 minutes or so. the weather officers along with mission managers really to look at the long range forecast. when we talk about that, we'll look at long range until about 11:0. launch scheduled for 11:26 here. they'll stop the crew gearing up and getting into their suits at 7:06. they'll have a q

destination -- the kennedy space center. d ride them to space. all that is clear is uncertainty. what do you do when the shuttle stops flying, mike? >> well, let's see. i'm the launch director and there will be no launches to direct. and so i don't really know. >> in both years and miles, the end of the line is much, much closer now. three months earlier, a couple thousand miles from florida, a transporter moved slowly through the falling snow. it is carrying one of those last massive booster segments to the railyard 20 miles away. without the boosters, space shuttles could not fly. this is promontory, utah, north of salt lake city, home to atk aerospace systems. for 37 years, they have been testing and building the shuttle's solid rocket boosters here. >> this is a typical space shuttle segment. >> for 34 of those years, phil says he's touched the heavens with each booster he's helped build. can you imagine you spent your -- i mean a good portion of your adult life building components for a space vehicle. >> yes. but it's be

reporting tonight from the kennedy space center in florida. earlier today thousands upon thousands of people lined the atlantic coast in central florida to witness the last launch of an american icon as the space shuttle atlantis blasted off for the very last time and roared into space. >> liftoff. the final liftoff of atlantis on the shoulders of the space shuttle america will continue the dream. >> atlantis will rendezvous with an international space station and bring a year's worth of supplies to the six crew members currently aboard before returning to earth to officially mark the end of the program. so after 30 years, why is the space shuttle program coming to an end? what will nasa ace next great adventure be and could commercial space travel be on the horizon? here's a special report from cnn's john zerella, "beyond atlantis: the last frontier". >> main engine start. >> shuttle has cleared the tower. >> the spacecraft that launches like a rocket and lands like a plane. >> touchdown. >> the beginning of a remarkable era. >> what we did in

and by the end of august 1,000 people. >> here at the kennedy space center. yeah. it has been a devastating blow for the space coast up and down here from brevard county all the way up to daytona and south. they've had some warnings and they've tried to prepare but we've spent some time here over the years talking to the people who work on the shuttle program, and many of them are very worried about how they will feed their families because the economy is in such bad shape. there's nothing really to ping the slack at the moment. they would like to see a commercial space vehicle come along and provide jobs here but so far the commercial sector isn't yet ready to lift astronauts into space, and so we're going to have a period of three to four, maybe five years in which american astronauts have to hitch a ride with the russians and this place, the kennedy space center's going to be awfully quiet. >> and we're accustomed to seeing seven crew members, but this time around four because of that reason. there's no backup shuttle here. so if god forbid anything happened they

the question is, at the end of this, it will stay and be retired at the kennedy space center site, itwill be on display at the visitors center, but the question is the future of the space program as we know it. this is the short term program, where the shuttles go, but where do you see americans going when it comes to outer space? >> reporter: well, nasa right now is cutting back to their commercial program. the good part about it, it will save the taxpayers a lot of money because shuttles did a great job, but they were very expensive to fly. commercial flight will be much cheaper. but nasa will also be building what they call a heavy lift rocket. they already have a multi purpose spacecraft called orion and its first mission will be to go to an asteroid. we're a minute and 43 seconds away from the touchdown, peter. >> we'll ask you to stay with us as we go silent and again, this is the final landing of "atlantis," the 135th and final shuttle mission. >> as it approaches the runway, commander chris ferguson will flare up "atlantis's" nose to burn up excess speed prior to deployment by

it's a day of mixed emotions at the kennedy space center. le program means the end of thousands of jobs. 2,300 nasa workers will be laid off within days, and 6,000 more will lose their jobs in the coming months. some shuttle employees already moved on while others face an uncertain future. >> stephanie estrada is lucky, and knows it. >> every single step i have taken, it was timely and the right move, and -- for some reason it has worked out. >> stephanie is a lawyer. she wears suits. she wore them before, too, but those were called bunny suits, nasa's suit for what you put on. >> whether it was law related or working at mcdonald's, i didn't care. >> while still with nasa, she went to night school and got her law degree and left the space agency before it left her. by the time the three shuttles are sent to museums, nearly 8,000 people will have lost their jobs. >> this was given to me as a -- just a reminder from everybody. they signed it. >> bill bender already lost his. he ran the department that tracks and photographed shuttles as they li

"today in the bay's" jay gray live at the kennedy space center where the shuttle program has officially come to an end. a little bit of sadness for folks. >> reporter: no question about it, laura. look, it's an amazing and emotional day here at kennedy space center starting with that picture perfect landing. just over two hours ago, but people trying to catch their breaths after what was just a beautiful sight to see "atlantis" landing here, the touchdown of the wheels, the chutes deploy. and then it rolls to a stop, ending as you talk about the 30-year shuttle program. and really, spawning mixed emotions here. there's a lot of pride over what's happened over the last decades and with this mission specifically. but sadness that this chapter in american space exfloration is closing. then the uncertainty that so many are dealing with, really not sure what direction nasa may go next. so a lot to deal with. they are trying to focus on "atlantis" and all of the good that's come over the 30 years of the shuttle program. >> quickly, do you know where they are going to park the shuttle now? >>

live pictures now of "atlantis" on the launch pad at kennedy space center. shuttle program's final flight scheduled to blast off in just a little bit more than two hours. but the weather? pretty iffy. cnn's john zarrella and chad myers are there. john, let's start with you. nasa say they are a go for the launch right now, right? >> reporter: yeah. for now. you know, what would a shuttle launch be, kyra, if it wasn't for a weather issue, right? i recall back in 1988 on the first flight after the "challenger" accident, the flight of "discovery," we were here. it looked like this. no way they were going to go. right before launch, the skies parted. it was clear blue. and "discovery" took off and then 30 minutes later, it was all cloudy again. i think nasa is saying, look. we are going to count this down. we think we've got an opportunity to get off the ground. that's what they are saying. and that is what they are going to go ahead and do. the crew is on board. all four astronauts are seated on the shuttle. they are ready to go. the vehicle is ready to go. there

. >> i just retired after 45 years representing the kennedy space center. >> the shuttle has cleared the tower. >> all of the launches that i've seen have been exciting. this is a magnificent flying machine. you sit there and all even though you have worked on them and seeing them for so many years. -- use it to you sit there in a. i worked on the air system as applied to control the air for the apollo aircraft. it was very upsetting. everyone that work there was exciting to be there. i was lucky enough to be chosen to work on the lunar rover. the first vehicle did not have any american flags. they sent it back and ask for five. i carefully placed four on the fenders. they wanted us to autograph a spare. this was the front and back. i have that flag. i am very proud of it. these pictures were signed by the crews because we supported them. if you are capable of having these things and you cherish them very much. the space shuttle program is an exciting time. it has been 30 years. this has been part of so many people's lives and has been such a stellar program for this nation. like eve

. >> i just retired after 45 years representing the kennedy space center. >> the shuttle has cleared the tower. >> all of the launches that i've seen have been exciting. this is a magnificent flying machine. you sit there and all even though you have worked on them and seeing them for so many years. -- use it to you sit there in a. i worked on the air system as applied to control the air for the apollo aircraft. it was very upsetting. everyone that work there was exciting to be there. i was lucky enough to behosen to work on the lunar rover. the first vehicle did not have any american flags. they sent it back and ask for five. i carefully placed four on the fenders. they wanted us to autograph a spare. this was the front and back. i have that flag. i am very proud of it. these pictures were signed by the crews because we supported them. if you are capable of having these things and you cherish them very much. the space shuttle program is an exciting time. it has been 30 years. this has been part of so many people's lives and has been such a stellar program for this nation. like every

the space shuttle atlantis blasted off from the kennedy space center this morning just a few minutes behind schedule. this is the final launch of the shuttle program that began 30 years ago. four astronauts are riding atlantis to orbit. alan chernoff joins us with more. >> it was like looking into the sun. the sound as the shuttle rose was like a thunderous wind ripping through the sky. what a sight. what an experience. >> 2, 1, 0. and liftoff. >> reporter: the beginning of a mission marks the end of an era. >> america will continue the dream >> reporter: thrils launched as scheduled friday morning after some uncertainty. >> sentimental journey into history joo. yoo there was a wild card throughout. the weather. the four-member crew suited up this morning in anticipation of the scheduled liftoff and to the delight of crowds that gathered anywhere they could to get a glimpse of the historic launch, the four-person crew is now headed to the international space station to deliver supplies. this 135th shuttle miss will be mission specialist's rex waldheim's 13th mission in space. >> i tho

the bbc's david shukman is at the kennedy space center. >> reporter: "atlantis" on the launch pad.years. now this launch will mark the end for a while of america's ability to send people into orbit. this massive building is where they've been assembling the shuttles and before them, the apollo rockets that took men up to the moon. but the shuttles just won'n'be remembered in the same way. their job was to deliver people and cargo o to orbit and they have had real successes. >> shuttle has cleared the tower. >> reporter: the hubble telescope was hauled up on a shuttle and later repaired. the result? these spectacular images of the most distant reaches of the universe. the shuttles also built the international space station, an orbiting laboratory now the size of a football field. there's been a heavy cost. >> "challenger" go at throttle up. >> reporter: 1986, the "challenger" exploded. all seven people on board were killed. in 2003, the "columbia" broke up. another seven people were killed. for now, all eyes are on the images from space of the storms crossing the launch site. lightn

thanks to the kennedy space center. they will be delaying the smart of their post-launch news conference by just ten minutes. that will start now 12:10 p.m. central time, 1:00 p.m. eastern time. bill gerstenmaier, nasa associated administrator out of nasa headquarters, bob cabana, the director of the kennedy space center, mike most sis, the space shuttle launch integration manager and mike line back, the shuttle launch director will be the participants in the news conference at the kennedy space center which now will begin at about 12:10 p.m. central time. allow us to bring to you the at least the beginning of the payload bay door opening aboard atlantis. [no audio] [no audio] [no audio] [no audio] >> houston, block six is complete and we'll pick up with the open command for the doors about 31 minutes after. >> okay. we copy block six. we'll be standing by for the doors. . . >> go ahead. >> supply water galley supply valve to open. talk back to open. >> complete. >> thank you very much. >> and the mechanical systems offi

thousands upon thousands of people that are contracted to work out here at the kennedy space center, ey live around here, they are part of the economy of this area and with all these jobs disappearing, it really is going to affect the terrain here, the area nearby, the local economy. what nasa is hoping though -- by the way, atlantis, which is over my shoulder, is going to stay right here at the kennedy space center. so they are hoping that if the shuttle stays here, that is just enough to bring people in from all around the world to pay their "respects" to it and try to give the economy a boost by tourism, if you will. >> terrell, so what's next for the u.s. in space exploration? >> reporter: we have a couple of different things on tap. nothing is for certain. if we go back in time, mercury gave way to gemini and gemini to the apollo and from the apollo to the shuttle missions. we don't have that kind of definition right now. we don't know what's going to come up. we know commercial companies have been given the it's tok work on getting astronauts up -- the task to get astronauts up

the space shuttle due to touch down just minutes from now at kennedy space center at cape canaveral, ind abc's lisa stark, and, lisa, after some 1 million people converged on the space center a a the surrounding environs to watch it soar to the heaven, can you set the scene for us as "atlantis" makes it final descent? >> reporter: josh, a couple of thousand people at the runway. this is an invitation only event. the public is not invited. former shuttle directors here, theirfamilies. they are packing the area near the runway ten deep. they have filled the grandstands. everyone has their cameras out waiting for this historic moment as the final space shuttle, "atlantis," c ces down, touches down here at the kennedy space center. it's a moment filled with a lot of pride for everything that has happened, of course, but a lot of sadness for whatt we're losing, the end of the u.s. space program, the shuttle program anyway, and who knows when we'll get back into space, so a lot of mixed emotions here this morning at the kennedy space center. >> the preflare maneuver executed. landing gear d

has been cleared >> andy of land a shuttle made it safely back to earth it will be on display at the kennedyce center. >> community meeting in the bay view turned nasty. can a party was shot and killed and the chief was trying to explain on the studies and tests but he was shouted at by the members of the community >> we have more top stories to talk about let's talk about this letteweather. >> it is less iran now but is going to get cooler. 88 by noontime. we are going to be a couple breeze cooler than yesterday the will have awful lot of the fork pass to a wide coming up a >> an easy ride around the bay area bay area bridges are running smoothly the metering lights were not activated until 630 this morning. >> achab collided with a shuttle bus right in front of our kron 4 news room the cab burst into flames it happen of around for 10:00 a.m. it is unclear which car ran i would like they crashed at a very high rate of speed and the cab burst into flames you're watching the explosion that happened right after the crash cras. the driver of the cab out was in shock at the passenger in the cab

and we are back here at the kennedy space center where we watched "atlantis blast into space. st shuttle launch in 1981, the u.s. launched the first woman and african-american into space, and if it weren't for the shuttles, the international space station would not exist. the shuttles also enabled the hubbel telescope to reach further into the universe to send back amazing images for all of us. space correspondent jay barbree is back with us. starting off with the hubbel telescope, and "atlantis had five repairs and involved greatly to getting the telescope to where it needed to be, but people ask this question a lot, how has nasa or the shuttle program improved our lives. how has it improved the united states? >> do you love gps? >> i do. >> and do you like the tweet? >> yes. >> it does allel of that. and what most people don't realize is if we had not gone to the moon and had there not been a space program, we would be 50 years behind in science as we are today. because, when they decided to go to the moon, kennedy did for in a decade, they had to invent the transistor, and i