BALDWIN: Next Friday marks a milestone for NASA's space shuttle program. That is when the final shuttle mission ever is scheduled to launch. The shuttle program was a long time in coming and it was on the drawing board nearly a year before the Apollo moon landing. So given all of that why is NASA pulling the plug right now? Our John Zarrella asks the experts, was the shuttle program a success, or was it a failure? Watch?</s>JOHN ZARRELLA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: So why now? Why call it quits now? From the time of its inception 40 years ago until the shuttles are retired, the program will have cost the American taxpayers just shy of $115 billion. That's less than $4 billion a year, a drop, if that, in federal budget. Still, the problem is money.</s>CHARLIE BOLDEN, NASA ADMINISTRATOR: There's just not enough money in NASA to continue the existing programs and start a new program at the same time.</s>ZARRELLA: Was it time?</s>BOLDEN: Yes, it was time. And it has been time for some time to phase out of shuttle and go back to exploration.</s>ZARRELLA: Whether you hated it or hailed it, felt it a waste or worth it, the shuttle was an iconic flying machine that symbolized America's inspiration and ingenuity.</s>BALDWIN: And I hope you watch this with me, John's special "Beyond Atlantis, the Next Frontier" Sunday night 8:00 eastern right here on CNN. And looking to next week, I'll be joining my colleagues Anderson Cooper and John Zarrella and Chad Myers from the Kennedy space center for the final launch. Atlantis lifting off on July 8. Our coverage begins Friday morning, 10:00 a.m. eastern right here on CNN. I'll see you then. Coming up, just imagine the scene -- empty arenas, stadium shutdowns. It could become a reality with two of America's biggest sports now in jeopardy. It could become a reality. I'll speak with Isaiah Thomas about today's lockout and whether next season can be salvaged.
NASA Prepares to End Shuttle Program