>> shepard: but first, from fox this friday night, right now high above our heads, space shuttle atlantis is chasing down the international space station. a hookup scheduled to happen in the next couple of days. after all, the worries of bad weather and a technical hiccup seconds before launch the shuttle took off shortly before 11:30 eastern this morning. after the shuttle commander told the launch director let's light this fire one more time. >> t minus 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5. all three engines up and burning. >> two, one, zero and lift-off. the final lift-off of atlantis on the shoulders of the space shuttle america will continue the dream. >> that sentiment shared by a lot of people on day that was equal parts excitement and nostalgia. nasa officials predicted up to