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The crew was strapped in for the final launch of space shuttle Atlantis, set to blast off at 11:26 ET on a 12-day mission that will end NASA's shuttle program. Steve Inskeep and Renee Montagne talk with NPR's Nell Greenfieldboyce, who has a view of the launchpad and an eye on the sky at Kennedy Space Center. She gets a visit from astronaut Mike Fink, who flew on the shuttle Endeavour's final mission just last month. The hosts also check in with NPR's Greg Allen, who's among the thousands gathered on Florida's Space Coast to watch the final launch.

The space shuttle Atlantis is fueled and the astronauts are waiting to see if there will be a launch Friday. The weather could delay the final bast off of a shuttle. After 30 years, NASA is ending the program. NPR's Nell Greenfieldboyce and Wade Goodwyn talk to Steve Inskeep and Renee Montagne about the mission.

Nolan Koewler was fired from a Dillard's department store in Evansville, Ind., after July 4, 2010. He'd taken two leftover hot dogs after a company picnic. After losing his job, Koewler sued. He said he didn't hear his boss's instructions to save them. Indiana's Court of Appeals has ordered the store to pay him unemployment benefits.

Just before word came that the scandal-ridden News of the World would fold, one final insult: a boycott. Fish and chips are traditionally wrapped in newspapers. And according to a satirical website, fish were refusing to be wrapped in the British tabloid.

Self-described "Space Junkie" Lloyd Behrendt was only 18 months old when his Dad took him to see the first rocket launch from Cape Canaveral in 1950. He's been to hundreds of launches since. Behrendt will be at the Kennedy Space Center for the final shuttle launch.

The top American diplomat in Afghanistan steps down this month. Renee Montagne speaks with the outgoing U.S. Ambassador to Afghanistan Karl Eikenberry, who has worked there over the last decade — first as an Army general and currently as ambassador.

Prince William and Kate, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, visit Southern California this weekend. They'll hobnob with celebrities, meet veterans, inner-city children and attend a polo match.

The unemployment report for June comes out Friday. Businesses have been doing some hiring, but not fast enough pace to bring down the unemployment rate. Another problem is the sharp decline in the number of government jobs.

Workers throughout NASA are upset that the space shuttle program is ending. But maybe none more so than the people at Johnson Space Center in Houston, where the astronauts live and train.

After 30 years of space shuttle takeoffs, crowds are gathered at Space View Park in Titusville, Fla., to see the final launch of Atlantis.

Weather permitting, the space shuttle Atlantis will bast off Friday for the last time at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

Among the prisoners held by anti-Gadhafi rebels in western Libya are many sub-Saharan Africans --from Ghana, Chad and other countries. Rebel leaders have long accused Moammar Gadhafi of recruiting black African mercenaries. Interviews at a rebel prison appear to corroborate the allegations. The prisoners — Libyans as well as sub-Saharan Africans — say Gadhafi's army is running short of food and ammunition, and is plagued by desertions. NPR's Lourdes Garcia-Navarro reports.

Bad weather remains a concern as the space shuttle Atlantis is scheduled to lift off this morning. Steve Inskeep talks to NPR's Joe Palca about the factors under consideration as NASA decides whether to launch. The 12-day mission will end NASA's 30-year shuttle program. Columbia opened the shuttle era in 1981.

As hordes of reporters wait for the launch, it's unclear if they'll see a blast off or a lot of rain.

Renee Montagne has business news.

People who fall behind on their mortgage payments because of a job loss are about to get some additional breathing room. The Obama administration is pressuring mortgage servicers to increase the forbearance period to 12 months for homeowners who have lost jobs. NPR's Tamara Keith reports.

A rise in the global price of silver is hurting Native American artists like Floyd Lomakuyuaya of the Hopi Reservation. The spike is threatening not only their livelihoods, but also part of their cultural heritage.

Steve Inskeep has the Last Word in business.

In the original trailer for John Singleton's 1991 film Boyz N The Hood, violent images play over a thudding drum track, as voice over introduces viewers to the hard heart of South Central Los Angeles. "This is Los Angeles, gang capital of the nation." Then, "In South Central L.A., it's tough to beat the streets."

This may be the most harrowing assignment I have ever tackled for NPR: spending a day watching Oprah Winfrey's new cable channel. Winfrey has admitted she could have done a better job with OWN, which launched in January. Ratings have been disappointing and the original CEO has left. Now that her daily talk show is over, Winfrey says that she's going to focus her attention on making OWN more successful. I figured I could check it out to see how it's doing.

Betsy Brooks remembers her father, Charles, as a "razor-sharp" former Marine. The two had their share of arguments, she says. But that all changed late in her father's life, as Betsy recently told her boyfriend, John Grecsek.

Charles was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease when he was 78. Betsy tells John about her relationship with her dad before, and after, the diagnosis.

"We butted heads from the moment we could," Betsy says.

Her father was a Marine — and very proud of it.

New York City's West Village is home to a pet shop called Le Petite Puppy. It's within walking distance of several bars. The manager says inebriated bar patrons will stumble in and attempt to buy a puppy without thinking through the responsibilities that entails. So the store's banned puppy sales to drunk customers.

Drivers in Moscow stopped in the middle of a 10-lane highway this week to pick up what looked like strewn money. It turns out, the road was not paved with rubles. Just bookmarks printed to look like a 1,000 ruble note.

The father of Pakistan's nuclear program tells The Washington Post that North Korea paid kickbacks to Pakistani military officials in exchange for sensitive nuclear technology.

Renee Montagne has business news.

Starting Thursday, the nation's biggest wireless carrier will no longer offer unlimited data plans to new customers. That means Verizon customers who watch lots of videos and stream music on their smartphones will likely have to pay more for their monthly service in the future. NPR's Hansi Lo Wang reports.

Renee Montagne has the Last Word in business.

Six years ago today, suicide bombers killed 52 people by targeting London's public transit system. There are allegations that British police collaborated with tabloid magazines to hack into the victims' voicemail messages left that day.

The Rupert Murdoch-owned tabloid "News Of The World" is facing new allegations in a phone hacking scandal that has set off a fire storm in Britain. Murdoch's top news executive at News International is under increasing pressure to resign.

In Texas Thursday, Humberto Leal Garcia is scheduled to be put to death. Leal was convicted of the rape and murder of a 16-year-old girl in 1994 — but he is a Mexican national and was not informed of his right to notify his embassy or consulate at the time of his arrest. President Obama, the United Nations and others have asked Texas to stay the execution, but the state has refused.