Well, excuse me, but during recent comments on the Challenger disaster, "the incident occured during take off."
So my powers of deduction would deduce that even to NASA shuttles do indeed take off.
If this is what this has boiled down to, (arguing if a shuttle is launched or takes off),then you could be missing something big.
launch (v.) to send forth by hurling or thrusting.
take off (n.) the process of taking off in flying.
As the shuttle is in the business of space FLIGHT, then it must take off.
Mercury, Gemini, Apollo etc. would be launched.
Oh by the way,
flight (n.) 1. the process of flying, the movement or path of a thing through the AIR 2. a journey made by AIR.
So, how can a spacecraft fly?
Oh yes, Blue Wolf, "The craft wasn't - as far as we know - damaged until after, or at least during, the launch"
Thats what I said...read before you post.