Now I'm getting excited. Photographers start to get ready. I can't believe I'm going to see a launch. The sky behind the launch pad is beginning to get light. Sunrise is 15 minutes after launch.
Night turns to day as it lifts off the pad.
I'm three miles away and the sound is deafening. Like a combination of non-stop fireworks and rumbling which shakes everything. It rises quickly. In a few seconds, it's in the sunshine and the contrail turns colors. After a few minutes, it's gone and all over.