Morning Edition

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.