Before Tuesday, it had been 2 1/2 years since the last shuttle was launched, but Lauren Bailey said she new everything would go just fine this time around with Discovery.

Bailey, an Ohio University Southern student from Ironton, watched the launch from her computer through NASA's Web site. She said a friend was also watching, but he was not as optimistic.

"He said he had a dark feeling," Bailey said.

All did go fine Tuesday morning, as Bailey suspected, with the Discovery shuttle and the seven astronauts aboard as they started their 12-day mission.

Danny Laney, 43, of Pedro did not have any concerns either.

"They had planned it very well," Laney said.

The planning led to perhaps the most captivating part of the launch, the more than 100 cameras aimed at the shuttle.

"It was fascinating," Laney said. "The camera views they had with the fuel tank were interesting."

One of those angles, one where a camera was mounted on the fuel tank itself, had never been seen before.

Despite the careful planning and intriguing views, some would argue it just took too long to get the shuttle going.

"I think it's about time. It took too long," Frank Cooper, 42, of Ironton, said. "That's the way NASA does things though."

The 114th launch was delayed from its original July 13 takeoff date after a hydrogen-fuel gauge malfunctioned with only two hours to go.

Cooper did not watch the takeoff but was adamant things could have been finished quicker.

"I was pretty much confident they could fix it and launch," he said. "But if they think it's fixed then go with it. If they do six or seven tests and everything goes well then why do 30 or 50?"

As for the money spent on the program, Cooper said it is money well spent.

"It's where we're going to solve our energy problems," he said.

However, Bailey disagrees.

"I think we should continue with what we are doing, but I don't think we should start anymore programs," she said.