"Speaking on NASA TV Monday, agency administrator
Bill Nelson referenced his own launch experience to say that delaying liftoff to
the moon was a wise decision. Nelson flew aboard a
space shuttle mission, STS-61-C, that scrubbed four times before its successful liftoff on Jan. 12, 1986, he said."
My wife and I plus the kids were there for this launch. Susan's uncle worked at the Cape and got us tickets to the causeway at 3.5 miles from the launch. It was a night launch, just a few minutes before sunrise. Very cold (just two weeks before the Challenger disaster).
It went straight up for about 30 seconds and burst into sunlight. I tracked it with 20x80 binoculars and saw it disappear below the horizon. The loudspeaker said it was 409 miles downrange.