up. i know challenger was a giant disaster for the space program. i want to wish the astronauts a good trip. i m sure everyone here is proud of you because you re very special, all of you. reporter: by launch time, the children now nervous with anticipation, gathered outside their school in the shadow of the kennedy space center. three, two, one, blastoff! reporter: as discovery painted a picture-perfect lift-off, children of challenger elementary formed one big pep rally. go, go, go! i knew it would make it. i had no doubt about it. it made it, guys. it made it! reporter: john quinones, abc news, port st. john, florida. really cool to see. yeah. cool side note. the crew up there got the first ever in the history of the space shuttle program live wake-up music on tuesday. that s right. it was from big head todd and the monsters, a big colorado band, but achieved national fame, of course, and they performed a version of blue sky and wrote the song at