Government shutdown would spare essential services

A partial shutdown of the federal government would close national parks and delay tax refunds, but the potential impact remains uncertain for many functions, including preparing for NASA's next space shuttle launch.

A shutdown will take effect at midnight Friday unless congressional Democrats and Republicans reach a deal on how much to spend in the remaining months of fiscal 2011.

Without a compromise, or another temporary stopgap spending measure, an estimated 800,000 workers nationwide could be furloughed. ...