>> couric: good evening, everyone. for nearly ten weeks, they've lived in brutal conditions 2,000 feet below the ground where it's 90 degrees, dark, humid, and claustrophobic. no one had ever been trapped so long in a mine and survived. but 33 men in chile have beaten the odds and within hours their long ordeal could finally be over. just a short while ago, rescuers made final preparations to lower custom-made capsule named phoenix into the mine. the men will be brought to the surface inside it one by one. first out will be 31-year-old florencio avalos. he's the man who has been shooting the video we've seen of his coworkers. seth doane is at camp hope near the san jose mine in chile. seth, that is very nerve- wracking time for the miners and their families. >> you are exactly right, katie, right now and you can see they're starting to put those finishing touches on the rescue capsule as they prepare to lower it into the rescue shaft. just a few minutes ago they said they were going to delay the rescue by about two hours. he mentioned there was a problem with one of the communication devices, but he said the rescue will move forward this evening, he said, and they expect to have the first miner out sometime tonight and all of this has not tempered any of the excitement here around me at camp hope where people are so, so thrilled, flabbergasted to be entering this final stage of the rescue. this is what the miners will see from inside the rescue capsule and what they'll hear. the scraping of rock during a nerve-wracking journey to the surface. it's crunch time. the rescue operation could last until thursday. here's how the operation is expected to unfold. rescue workers are being lowered to assist and send up the miners. once all of the rescue team is in position, officials expect to be able to extract one miner each hour. the 2,000 foot journey up should take between 10 to 15 minutes. a winch system will haul the miners up at about three feet a second. once out, they will immediately see a doctor in a clinic on site-- urgent cases will be airlifted out. the rest will go through a one to two-hour-long stabilization process. after all that, they'll finally be permitted to reunite with family. only two to three people picked by the miner. then the miners go to a nearby hospital for further observation. the exact order of the rescue is still uncertain, but the miners are said to be squabbling over who gets to go last. these ladies are showing me the headlines today, this says: "today is the day." and "this is the hour." many here are hoping tomorrow's headlines will herald success. it was winter here in the southern hemisphere when the miners were trapped but it's spring now. it's been an agonizing wait both below ground and above. in this country that's 70% catholic, many draw from their faith. >> ( translated ): you have to find strength to keep going. >> reporter: we met maria segovia last week, keeping vigil for her brother dario and bustling around her camp. but lately she hasn't slept much do you know when your brother will come out? >> ( translated ): no one knows. i don't care if he comes out first or last. i care that he gets out. >> reporter: and now these miners will be emerging, katie, into a very different world. there's talk of book deals, movie deals, screenplays, free vacations. so not only are these miners going to be forced to deal with trying to get their old lives back, they're going to have to have to deal with this newfound celebrity as well. >> couric: seth, as we reported, a 31-year-old miner is the first to come out. but there are others who are older. i think the oldest is 63 and others still have medical problems. so why is one of the strongest miners coming out first? >> reporter: it seems counterintuitive, doesn't it, really? but rescue workers here on the surface have explained to us that they want to glean as much information as they possibly can as these miners make this nail- biting, terrifying, hair-raising 2,000 foot journey to the surface. they want to get as much information they can from the able-bodied tech savvy ones so that's why some of those will come out first. >> couric: what about the families, seth? they've been waiting by that mine for more than who months. where are they right now? >> reporter: well, unbelievably, katie, a lot of them are here just right around me. you heard in our package we explained only two to three family members will actually get to meet the miners today. many will have to wait, possibly for a couple of days. >> couric: and they've set up a screen around the rescue shaft? why is that? >> reporter: i don't know if you can quite see it from where i am but there is a screen near where the miners will be taken out. they will be brought immediately to the special clinic for medical attention. but the chilean government has really orchestrated everything, choreographed everything. they don't want pictures if any problems should occur to get out to the word media. so we're seeing a lot of pictures but mostly happy ones, or that's what we expect. katie? >> couric: seth doane reporting from near the san jose mine in chile. seth, thanks very much. as seth just mentioned, all the rescued miners will get a full medical checkup as soon as they emerge. dr. jon lapook is here with more on that part of the story. what will doctors be looking for, jon, when it comes to examining these miners? >> at first just the basics: blood pressure, pulse, oxygen level and a special attention to the lungs because they've been in dark, dingy damp area for so long there's set up for lung infections. >> couric: what are the risks as they travel to the surface through the capsule which is quite small. >> it's only the diameter of a basketball hoop. they're quite concerned. they're monitoring them with a machine around their belt, they'll wear oxygen masks on the way up. one of the problems is that they'll faint. the blood as you stand straight up pools to the legs and may not reach the heart and the brain. the other problem is you get to the surface and suddenly after all this time in darkness you have the sunlight which can suddenly harm the eyes. think of walking out of a theater and that feeling you get. multiply that by a thousand. >> couric: real quickly, what about the psychological issues they may have to confront after being in this situation for so long? >> of course. anxiety, depression, post- traumatic stress disorder and that's why they're going to be monitored for at least six months. as seth was saying about all of this attention they're going to be getting, it's one thing to try to handle the sunlight, but it's a whole other thing to handle the limelight. >> couric: that's right. all right, dr. jon lapook, thanks so much, jon. now to another developing story tonight. president obama's lifting the moratorium on offshore deep water drilling. it was imposed in the early days of the b.p. disaster. by one estimate, the ban cost the gulf region nearly $2 billion and thousands of workers their jobs. as drilling now resumes, mark strassmann reports there are new rules aimed at preventing another catastrophe. >> reporter: big oil just got a tough message on safety: the days of gambling in the gulf are over. one epic spill was enough. >> somebody can drill only when they satisfy the government, that they have a process in place to deal with a worst-case scenario. >> reporter: for companies that do, by years end drilling could resume on some of the gulf's 36 deep water rigs. independent engineers must certify every rig's blowout preventer, the well's emergency cutoff, and each stage of the drilling process. there are new standards for cementing wells and the c.e.o. of the company responsible for the well is accountable, has to certify it meets all requirements. all were considered failings in this summer's b.p. disaster. marvin odum's president of shell oil. half of its six deep water rigs in the gulf need work to meet the new requirements. >> we should think of it as a safer system overall and we should get back to work. >> reporter: in louisiana, todd hornbeck wants his supply ships back at work, but has a new worry. >> it's impossible to know when we're ever going to get a permit and i'm fearing that process will be... could be drug out for a very long time. >> reporter: and too late for some of the estimated 12,000 oil and gas jobs lost during the moratorium. >> it feels like the failure of the american dream. >> reporter: brian lambert just put up his home for sale. and out-of-work shallow water driller in deep financial trouble. >> my worries are that it will take years for us to get back on our feet again. >> reporter: but environmentalists are worried. the b.p. investigation has yet to close and the gulf is back open for business. mark strassmann, cbs news, atlanta. >> couric: in other news tonight, the "don't ask, don't tell" policy is on hold. a federal judge in san diego issued an injunction today barring enforcement of the ban on openly gay men and women serving in the military. jan crawford in washington is our chief legal correspondent and, jan, what exactly does this ruling mean? >> well, katie, as of right now with this ruling the military can no longer enforce "don't ask, don't tell." of course, that policy presented openly gay people from serving the military, now under this decision they can. and this is a sweeping injunction, katie, it applies to the military worldwide, not in just this judge's district which means that's almost unprecedented to have one judge effectively determining government policy across the board. so the ball is really now in the administration's court to decide will it appeal. >> couric: and having said that, jan, the obama administration has come out against the policy, so why would the white house appeal this ruling? >> great question. and they haven't said whether or not they're going to. but my sources say the justice department right now is preparing to ask a federal appeals court to at least delay this ruling while they decide what they're going to do. gay rights groups obviously want the administration to let this decision stand. but the administration really would prefer that congress step in and repeal this law, not a federal judge. katie? >> couric: all right, jan crawford in washington. jan, thanks so much. still ahead here on the "cbs evening news," something new in wine country alongside the traditional red and whites. now the oranges. but up next, critical contests: wisconsin and west virginia may hold the keys to the senate for the g.o.p. how new is the new edge with myford touch? well you could never do this before. or this. or this. you definitely couldn't do this. play kate's mix. or this. temperature, 72 degrees. say hello to the new edge with myford touch.™ quite possibly the world's smartest crossover. oh. see that? great job. ok, now let's get ready for the ball... here it comes... here you go. good catch. perfect! alright now for the best part. let's see your pour. ohhh...let's get those in the bowl. these are way too good to waste, right? oh, yea. let's go for it... around the bowl and... 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( laughs ). >> reporter: today the feingold campaign put out a fund-raising letter with information from its pollster who said, not surprisingly, that feingold is surging. but there was no claim that he's actually ahead. katie? >> couric: dean reynolds in madison, wisconsin, tonight. dean, thank you. meanwhile, in west virginia the democrats are fighting to keep the seat held for more than half a century by the late senator robert byrd. democratic governor joe manchin is in a tight battle for that seat with republican john raese. congressional correspondent nancy cordes is in west virginia tonight. nancy, manchin got some pretty big attention with that campaign ad heard round the country. >> reporter: that's right, katie. and the governor says he has no regrets about releasing one of the most explosive ads of this election season. west virginias have never seen their governor quite like this, leveling a rifle at the agenda of his fellow democrat, president obama. >> and i'll take dead aim at the cap and trade bill. >> reporter: don't you think it's a little bit over the top to be firing a gun when you're talking about the president? >> i'm not talking about the president. i'm talking about cap and trade, it's dead on arrival. should be. >> reporter: the ad is a calculated move by manchin who may have earned high marks for his handling of mining disasters. >> the rescue teams are prepared. they're charged up, ready to go. >> reporter: but in ad after ad, his opponent calls him a rubber stamp for president obama-- and it's sticking. >> being a rubber stamp for barack obama. >> reporter: republican industrialist john raese has run for senate twice before. he favors abolishing the minimum wage and likes to joke that he's to the right of the tea party. >> governor manchin was a great advocate of the stimulus package and used it extensively throughout west virginia. >> reporter: didn't every governor do that? >> oh, no, no. >> reporter: national republicans didn't do raese any favors when a firm they hired to produce this ad. >> we better keep joe manchin right here in west virginia. >> away from washington. >> reporter: ...put out a casting call for "hickey blue- collar types." >> that upset me terribly. >> reporter: why? >> because it portrays west virginia as being redneck and they're not. there's all kinds of educated people here. >> reporter: because this is a special election to replace the late robert byrd, whoever wins will head to washington not in january but right away. katie? >> couric: nancy cordes, nancy. thank you very much. still ahead, there's still raking it in on wall street. street. 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[ male announcer ] aleve. proven better on pain. >> couric: finally tonight, 'tis the season for pumpkins. they're popping up all over, including someplace new. john blackstone reports they're the toast of wine country. >> reporter: for a few glorious weeks in october, pumpkins become a big deal. and for some the bigger the better. >> i'm sorry, this pumpkin is so little for you. >> reporter: now some particularly determined growers are cultivating giants in a place better known for its grapes than its gourds-- the napa valley, california's wine country. the same drive for excellence that has made the vineyards of the napa valley world famous is now being applied to something bigger-- much bigger. not red or white but orange. >> there's the small grapes and the big pumpkins. >> reporter: lee hudson makes fine chardonnay, but he's hooked on the happiness that comes from enormous pumpkins >> it's contagious. >> reporter: makes you smile? >> makes you smile. i think so, yeah. >> reporter: just watch them grow. often adding more than a pound an hour as captured in this giant pumpkin documentary. >> there's nothing more fascinating than seeing a vegetable growing 30 pounds a day. >> reporter: so hudson turned a corner of his vineyard into a pumpkin patch. >> sounds like a rock. that's what we want. >> reporter: and with leonardo urena, his head gardener, set on his sights on bringing big pumpkins to napa. farmers at napa can't stand being second at anything, can they? now at least a dozen napa growers are toiling to make the valley famous for pumpkins. vern blaziek nurtures the scaled up squash beside his vines. >> i'm not the only weirdo in town. >> reporter: first place went to a 1,500 pounder from california's sunnier central valley. but don't expect napa's pumpkin growers to whine. they'll be back next year aiming to squash the competition. john black stone, cbs news, napa valley. >> couric: oh, john. and now updating our top story tonight, the rescue of those 33 men trapped in a mine in chile is about to begin. crews are getting ready to lower the phoenix capsule with a paramedic inside into the mine shaft. if all goes well, they hope to bring up the first miner later tonight. the process will be repeated over and over until all 33 are out. they've been trapped since august 5 when the mine caved in, 69 days. but it appears their long ordeal may soon be over. you can follow all the latest developments of the story on cbsnews.com. meanwhile, that is the "cbs evening news," for tonight. i'm katie couric. thanks for watching. i'll see you tomorrow. good night. captioning sponsored by cbs captioned by media access group at wgbh access.wgbh.org captioned by media access group at wgbh access.wgbh.org ,,,,,,