NASA’s shuttle program came to an end yesterday when Atlantis touched down at the Kennedy Space Center after a 13-day mission to the International Space Station. Atlantis, which embarked on its first mission in 1985, spent 307 days in space and traveled nearly 126 million miles during its 33 flights.
President Obama will take a break from debt talks today and welcome New Zealand Prime Minister John Key. The two will be discussing economic stability and national security issues. Key is also seeking progress on trade, but said yesterday the U.S. dollar could hurt growth in his country.
Obama will also participate in a townhall meeting at the University of Maryland-College Park.
The Federal Aviation Administration faces partial shutdown today if Congress doesn’t pass a bill that would allow the agency to operate. Air-traffic controllers would remain on the job, but about 4,000 “nonessential” employees would be affected.
