nbc's tom costello covers aviation for us in washington. good morning. >> delta flight 226 heading to europe and delta regional jet atlantic southeast flight headed to raleigh, durham, north carolina. neither plane ended up going anywhere last night. passengers aboard two planes got quite a jolt thursday evening when their jets collided on the tarmac. >> it looked awfully close. it just clipped it. the tip of the wing just sheered right off. >> reporter: the larger jet, a delta boeing 767, bound for amsterdam, was preparing to take off when it struck a commuter jet, slicing through its tail and alarming passengers. >> the whole plane jostled. so we rocked side to side. >> a really big shock. >> reporter: the commuter jet heading to north carolina suffered major damage to the tail and horizontal stabilizer and the collision came for a rude awakening for one of its passengers. >> i was half asleep. the next thing you know there was a bang. we all wondered what happened. the pilot came on and said we were clipped by the plane behind us. >> did

"atlantis" currently traveling 5,500 miles an hour -- >> we're back here with my colleague tom costello. we're almost five minutes into the flight. the next critical point is around eight minutes when the external fuel tanks will drop into the pacific. but tom, my hands are shaking. >> yeah. >> and i'm not a cryer. and i cried because this is the greatness of -- here i go. i'm sorry. >> it is -- >> it is the greatness of this country. and to see and to witness this. i want to run out and get in one of the rvs and just yell with the rest of the people who are lined up along i-4. but it is -- this is the american dream. this is what we think of and we envision and we make it happen. >> this country -- no other country can make the space shuttle happen. no other country has the technological expertise to make this a reality. and this country has done it now for 30 years. and so the final space shuttle mission is incredibly emotional for many people. but when you see it -- and i told you, when you -- it's like nothing you will ever experience. when you feel that rumble here, when you watch

tonight, nbc's tom costello looks back at three decades of stunning achievement and tragic setbacks. >> reporter: ask anyone old enough to remember april 12th, 1981, and chances are they do. >> the shuttle has cleared the tower. >> reporter: "columbia" america's first shuttle rocketed to space with its crew of two. settle i think we've got something that's really going to mean something to the crew and the world. today with "atlantis" sitting on the pad, her crew is preparing for a countdown. >> we want to make sure that the thousands and thousands of people that put their hands on the space shuttle are honored by this mission and the legacy of the space shuttle. >> reporter: for three decades, the shuttle program has brought incredible triumph. the launch of the hubble telescope, john glen's return to space, the construction of the international space station, and the hubble repair mission. but also, tragedy. the loss of "challenger" and "columbia" and 14 astronauts. and lingering questions about whether spending 13 years in low-earth orbit has been worth the financial and scientifi

tom costello, nbc news, cape canaveral. >> and that's our broadcast for this thursday night. thank you for being here with us. i'm brian williams. as always, we hope to see you right back here tomorrow evening. good night. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com >>> we begin with breaking news tonight. good evening. i'm jessica aguirre. >> and i'm raj mathai. a 60-acre grass fire in morgan hill burning in the area east of 101. if you're familiar with the area, it's up the hill from the target store right. >> at 101 and cochran. it's threatening several homes as you can see how close they are to the homes, the smoke. the morgan hil

it's where we begin tonight with nbc's tom costello. >> reporter: with its tactics already making it one of the most ridiculed government agencies, members of congress today interrupted and taunted a top tsa administrator, even arguing amtrak police dogs would do a better job of explosive detection than the tsa's airport scanners. >> you give me one of his dogs and we will find that bomb before you find your bomb. >> reporter: the tsa today acknowledged 2,500 security breaches since the agency was founded in the months after 9/11. but that's over 10 years after 450 airports, on average, 5 1/2 breaches per airport per year, everything from a misplaced bag to doors left open and passengers walking into secure areas, but also more serious scenarios, like the man who flew across country on an old boarding pass and expired id. the stun gun found on a jetblue flight last week. while the tsa conducts security reviews of every airport every year, it today said it only conducted joint reviews with the fbi at 17% of the nation's highest risk airports. >> we will not get to 150% of 450 airports

>> we don't know whether the earth's organics were homegrown or came from space. >> reporter: tom costellonbc news, palmdale california. >>> there's news tonight about chantix. new research published today says patients who take it are increasing their risk of heart problems including heart attacks and strokes. even if they have no prior history of heart disease. pfizer, the company that makes chantix, says the research is based on insubstantial evidence and the drug brings immediate help. >>> up next, a group of americans bringing help and comfort and making a difference this july 4th holiday for people who really need it. >>> happy fourth of july! >> those are skiers on july 4th, and while a lot of americans were enjoying the more typical fare, parades, barbecues and fireworks on this holiday monday, the people you're about to see spend it in quite a different way. it's been four months now since a devastating 9.0 quake and tsunami hit the coast of northeast japan leaving 23,000 people dead or missing. as nbc's ian williams reports from the disaster zone, young american volunteers are ma

nbc's tom costello is with us from our d.c. newsroom tonight. tom, good evening. >> most financial analysts and economists are in agreement on this issue that if the u.s. were to default on its debt, the fragile economic recovery now underway could be seriously threatened. >> reporter: if the country needed another warning about the risks of not raising the debt ceiling, the nation's top banker today used very simple and direct language. >> i think it would be a calamitous outcome, it would create a very severe financial shock that would have effects not only on the u.s. economy but the global economy. >> reporter: fed chairman ben bernanke warns the shock would immediately cascade from the banking sector and into the nation's heartland. here's how. most analysts agree that interest rates on u.s. treasury bonds would quickly rise and that would push all interest rates higher, including new mortgages, credit cards, car and small business loans, eventually affecting prices for everything we buy. meanwhile the bipartisan policy center estimates the

here with a sneak peek is nbc's tom costello. >> reporter: just after dusk in palmdale, california, on board a modified 747 nasa's newest most advanced infrared telescope is taking to the skies for an all-night mission of discovery. it's called s.o.p.h.i.a. flying near the strat sphere at 41,000 feet, two massive doors on the plane open up. at that altitude the telescope is above 99% of the earth's dust and water vapors. it should provide views scientists have never had before of nebulas, planets, stars and comets formed billions of light years ago but only visible to the telescope now. it is a glimpse at creation. >> we're seeing where stars are forming, and we're seeing it for the first time details of how it's all happening, how it's al. >> reporter: s.o.p.h.i.a. is a joint project between nas snasa and the german space agency. it's riding on a cushion of air of 24 black air bladders absorbing all the vibration from the plane that allows the telescope to lock on a distant star as if it were locking on a quarter with pinpoint accuracy. while the hubble telescope has beamed back pictu

we begin our coverage tonight with nbc's tom costello who was lucky enough to watch it blast off at the cape today. tom, good evening. >> reporter: hi, brian. mission managers admit they got lucky with the weather, no rain, no lightning, even a last-minute technical glitch tonight keep "atlant "atlantis" on the ground. a farewell from the ground teams who have spent 30 years launching shuttle missions. >> on behalf of the greatest team in the world, good luck to you and your crew on the final flight of this true american icon. >> go flight, one more time, mike, witnessing this nation at its best. the crew of "atlantis" is ready for launch. >> reporter: the 135th shuttle mission thundered off the florida coast on a resupply mission to the space station. while on the ground, three-quarters of a million people gathered to witness history. >> i wish them god speed and i'm so proud, i'm happy to have seen them go out. >> reporter: but controversy continues to reign over nasa and its alumni race as to whether weather is conceding its position in the space race by ending the space shuttle befo

. >> reporter: this is tom costello. if they can build it in asia, why can't they build it here? well, in california, high-speed rail is on the way. construction begins next year on what will eventually be a northern california to los angeles line promising 150,000 jobs. this is about as american as you can get, good, green jobs, putting americans to work. at the moment, america only has high-speed rail in the northeast from d.c. to new york and boston where centuries old tracks and winding routes keep the acela from ever hitting peak speeds. this train runs on freight lines, but to go faster than 120 miles an hour would require an entirely new electrified network of high-speed rail lines. the obama administration is moving ahead. the ultimate goal, connect 11 megacity regions with a network of high speed track helping to relieve congested roads and airports. but it won't be cheap, $53 billion over the next three years, $600 billion over the next 25. already republican governors in florida, wisconsin and ohio have rejected high-paid rail money afraid they will be on the hook for

tom costello, thank you very much, and it was a greatanchori you. and by the way beside me is dr. the first african-american woman in space. and let me get your thoughts on the end of the shuttle program. >> well, the first thing that comes to mind is that you are saying good-bye to something comfortable that you knew and that was a wonderful vehicle, and it is sad. at the same time, we really are looking forward to getting out of the lower earth orbit, and we are still in space and still have humans going up, and the united states is still the major partner this, and now let's do something else, and do what i would have loved to have done. i was a little kid watching the "apollo" program and i thought we would have gone to mars by now, and let's do that. >> and those are the obama goals to get to a close asteroid or to mars, and again, it is many years away and a lot of decent, and some of the articles have described it as disarray happening with the space program. >> well, it is not disarray, but people are nervous. i would love for us to make a commitment to do it in a shorter

tom costello, nbc news, washington. >> among the thousands making their way to d.c.s one man who has traveled nearly 4,000 miles across the country in his wheelchair. you have never seen a wheelchair quite like this one. chet hoping to help find a cure important spinal cord injuries. he was paralyzed in a motocross accident. he set out through southern california five weeks ago. that chair goes 55 miles an hour. needless to say he gets a lot of looks from other motorists and questions from police. >> i built this wheelchair and i decided that i would go do something for spinal cord research. something i have never done anything like this before. and just kind of jumped into it. didn't know what i was doing. learned a lot on the road. >> reporter: he says he hopes to get the attention of members of congress and the president before leaving d.c. >> get a helmet or windscreen or something. >>> still ahead, why the first lady, michelle obama, may public warming up her arm and working on her aim today. >>> neighborhood pride. new children's book that [ male announcer ] ar

here with an exclusive sneak peek is nbc's tom costello. >> reporter: just after dusk in palmdale, californian board a modified 747, nasa's newest, most advanced infrared telescope is taking to the skies for an all-night mission of discovery. >> nasa 747. >> reporter: it's called s.o.f.i.a. flying near the stratosphere two massive doors open up. they're among 99% of the earth case dust and water vapors. it should provide crystal clear infrared views like scientists have never had before of nebulas, planets, stars and comets formed billions of light years ago but only visible to the telescope now. it is say researchers a glimpse at creation. >> we're seeing where stars are forming, and we're seeing it for the first time, details of how it's all happening, how it's all coming together. >> reporter: s.o.f.i.a. is a joint process between nasa and the german space agency. the germans built the $120 million telescope and nasa provided the plane. it's riding on a cushion of air with 24 of these black air bladders literally absorbing all the vibration from the plane. that allows the telescope to lock

tom costello, nbc news, washington. >> that was interesting. >> it really is.ame, they need to get into it quickly for a lot of reasons. >> it's amazing, if you go to shanghai, you see the pace of development, like playing off this notion of the bridge. it is -- because as the guys -- one of the sources there said, there's no regulations whatsoever and there's a lot of money. they just -- you can literally if you spend two weeks there, watch them tearing stuff down and building new stuff up. the pace of development is kind of mind boggling to see how fast an old city has been converted into one of the most modern cities in the world. >> it's like we've got our feet in cement. we need to develop high speed rail networks across america for a lot of different reasons. it is to follow up what i did in the 1950s, we're in the 21st century. we need to move forward now. >> tom costello said, $500 billion number, that's over 25 years, that's $20 billion a year, that pales in comparison to what we spend in wars. nice to get out of the war game. >> why don't we stop thro

tom costello with more from cape canaveral. >> reporter: it was an emotional and dramatic end to thehuttle program here at 5:57 on runway 15, "atlantis" touched down just before 6:00 a.m. here are the sights and sounds as "atlantis" touched down the last time. >> landing 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. >> houston, after serving the world for over 30 years, the space shuttle earned its place in history, has come to a final stop. >> we copy your will 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 spacecraft, which for three decades, have inspired millions around the globe. job well done, america. >> great words. great words. the space shuttle changed the way we view the world and changed the way we view our universe. a lot of emotion today. one thing indisputable, north america will

. >>> and we have new fatigue rules for air traffic controllers, and tom costello is joining me now.know about the new regulations concerning those air traffic controllers falling asleep. >> yes, you remember that case in nevada when a comptroller was sleeping when a medevac plane was trying to make a landing. and because of those incidents, there is supposed to be a new step, and they prohibit controllers to be denied the ability to sleep while on duty, and that i have to conduct themselves professionally and be ready for recall at all time, and air traffic controllers must report for work ready for work and mentally alert, and they have extended the amount of time between shift from eight hours to nine hours hopefully allowing for more time for rest. as a result the controllers can request to take time off if they are too fatigued to work air traffic. they can request to take time off. also, they will now be allowed to listen to the radio and read appropriate printed material while on duty between 10:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m. to keep themselves awake and mentally occupied and the faa h

nbc's tom costello covered the story. delta flight 226 and a delta regional jet, make that 4904 headed to raleigh-durham, north carolina. neither plane ended up going anywhere last night. passengers aboard two planes at boston's logan airport got quite a jolt when their jets collide on the tarmac. >> it looked awfully close and it just clipped it. the tip of the wing was just sheared right off. >> reporter: the larger plane was preparing to take off for amsterdam when it struck a commuter jet, striking its tail and alarming the passenger. >> the whole plane jostled. >> a really big shock. >> reporter: the commuter jet which was heading to north carolina, suffered major damage tots tail and horizontal stabilizer and the collision came as a rude awakening for one of its passengers. >> i was half asleep. the next thing you know, there was a bang. and we all wonder what happened. the pilot comes on and says we've been clipped by the plane behind us. >> reporter: even the air traffic controller on duty could not believe what h

tom costello has more. >> reporter: good day to you.ly morning for all of us here at the kennedy space center but well worth getting up so early, as we watched "atlantis" come in for its final mission, its final landing here at the kennedy space center and wrapping up all of the missions over a 30-year history. here now, the sights and sounds as "atlantis" came to a wheel stop on runway 15 at the kennedy space center. >> landing 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

tom costello is at the national mall in washington with more on this. tom, good morning. >> reporter: hey, ann, good morning to you. this is going to be a very busy place. we've got the folk life festival behind me and the festival they're getting ready for on monday. two concerts on the steps of the capitol, also at the washington monument. but from coast to coast, we're talking beaches and barbecues and camping and celebration. july 1st and the 2011 great escape is on. ♪ hot fun in the summertime >> reporter: from yosemite in the west. >> i like the girls the best. >> reporter: aaa says 39 million americans will travel 50 miles or more this weekend, that's a million fewer than last year. >> reporter: you can blame the pain at pump. the national average for unleaded now $3.54 a gallon, down from the high of $3.98 on may 4th. but still 80 cents higher than a year ago. >> it's still tough because we're still kind of transitioning from how high the gas prices were so we've got in the habit of not traveling as much. >> reporter: the big surprise? while fewe

back to you. >> tom costello this morning, thank you so much. nbc news will bring you live coverage of the launch if and when it happens later this morning. it is now 7:19. once again here's david. >>> ann, thanks very much. today marks a first for the duchess of cambridge. kate is set to visit the united states for the very first time following a whirlwind tour through canada. nbc's peter alexander has the good assignment. he's been following the royal couple's trip every step of the way. he's in beverly hills with the latest this morning. hey, peter. >> reporter: david, good morning to you. the royals official coming to america tour officially begins this afternoon. they arrive at l.a.x., greeted by l.a.'s mayor antonio villaraigosa and the governor of the state, jerry brown. then they go where else? straight to beverly hills. they come here for a british business conference in a city that's filled with stars, theirs may be the biggest names of all. with just hours to go until this golden couple hits the golden state, william and kate are sadd

for today, tom costello, nbc news, cape canaveral. >> cool venue. >> little margaritaville never hurt anybody. >> in the morning. >> melissa, good morning. >> good morning, everyone. we begin in washington where the white house and congressional leaders are gearing up for rare weekend talks on the debt ceiling. mike is live at the white house with more. mike, good morning. >>> we've entered a critical weekend here in washington, the default, the full faith and credit of the united states government hangs in the balance. the question is, will there be the so-called grand bargain that a lot of people are whispering about behind the scenes, a $4 trillion cut to this nation's deficit. do they have the votes to do that in congress is the question? do they have the time or it could all fall apart over the question of politics. the question is, will republicans allow spending in the tax code as they spend it here, or eliminated tax breaks and subsidies to some corporations and special interests in order to get that deal. melissa? >> thank you so much. >> the furor over casey anthony's akwita

tom costello is at the kennedy space center. you had a front row seat. what was it like? >> it was a dramatic day and an emotional day for everybody here and it is not over. america's space shuttle program, 30 years ongoing since 1980, '81, actually is how in the history books. "atlantis" came down at 5:57 eastern time, it was its 33rd mission. in all, it's trekked 25 million miles, 327 days in orbit and at 5:57 this morning it came on rest on runway 15. here now the sights and sounds as "atlantis" came in for a landing. >> landing 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. >> and mission complete, houston. after serving the world for over 30 years, the space shuttle has earned its place in history. it's come to its final stop. >> we copy your stop and 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

nbc's tom costello is in cocoa beach, florida, a town hit hard at the end of the shuttle program. good morning. >> good morning to you. all the shuttles are going to be tourist attractions, but for the communities up and down the space coast, cocoa beach, titusville, cape canaveral, they're all just trying to hold on. the area code along florida space coast says it all, three, two, one, a nod to nasa and the life blood of this place. at its peak, 17,000 people worked on the shuttle program at cape canaveral. thousands more lived off the spin-off jobs. but with the loss of 9,000 of those nasa jobs, the space cost is looking more like a ghost coast, abandoned shopping malls, boarded up store fronts, homes cut in half. making it hard to move on for another job. for 11 years james has worked as an engineer at the shuttle's communications and tracking systems. his last day at work will be tomorrow. >> everybody is looking for the same job. there is not as many jobs as there are people. so you just have to hone your skills and stay on the education and, you know, compete. >> reporter: h

costello with some of your responses. hey, carol. >> yeah, today's question, what does the dsk case say about our justice system. this from tom. it just displays at the highest levels the difficulties women prosecuting for sexual assault face. think of the teenagers nationwide who keep quiet to avoid being called a liar. this from g.l., thanks for clearing something up. shouldn't matter what she said to her boyfriend after the fact. and the u.s. justice system has become a television drama for its people. the united states needs to rework some privacy laws so people aren't subjected to slander by the american public if charges are ever laid against them without being proved guilty. this from eddie. he says it says money, power, respect, rules of our land, i feel so bad for this woman. we all have lied at some point in our lives. we all know someone who did something illegal. does that mean you should shut up and stay a victim? you can see more responses at facebook.com/carolcnn. keep the conversation going. thanks as always for your comments. >>> you told us what you wanted to see. your choose the news story moments away. i ha