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Russia Confirms Failed Missile Launch Caused Norway's Light Show

Posted by timothy on from the disney-world-does-it-every-night dept.

Ch_Omega writes "According to this article over at BarentsObserver, the giant spiral seen on the sky over Norway Wednesday morning local time has been confirmed to be the result of a failed Russian missile launch. Russia now confirms that '...the missile was launched from submerged position in the White Sea by the nuclear submarine Dmitri Donskoy. Studies of the telemetric data from the launch show that the two first stages of the missile functioned as they should, and that a technical malfunctioning occurred during the third stage.' There is also an article on this at The Daily Mail."

11 of 236 comments (clear)

  1. Well paint me surprised: by Fluffeh · · Score: 5, Funny

    And all this time I seriously thought that it was some unimaginably interesting plot all about a russian missile program, underwater subs and secrecy beyond everyone's wildest imagination. Wait... what?

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    1. Re:Well paint me surprised: by DJCacophony · · Score: 5, Funny

      Underwater subs?
      My god, it's worse than I thought.

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    2. Re:Well paint me surprised: by vivian · · Score: 5, Informative

      as far as I know being able to launch a missile while the sub is submerged would be a huge leap forward in the nuclear arms race.

      This video seems to show underwater missile launches have been done for quite a while now...

    3. Re:Well paint me surprised: by timothyf · · Score: 5, Informative

      Nearly all of the unfrozen sea that Russia has easy access to in the north is also relatively close to Norway (purple is the extent of sea ice):

      http://arctic.atmos.uiuc.edu/cryosphere/NEWIMAGES/arctic.seaice.color.000.png

    4. Re:Well paint me surprised: by GigaplexNZ · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Russia doesn't need to do anything to bring down the American economy. America did a fairly decent job of that itself not too long ago.

  2. Back in the day... by GrahamCox · · Score: 5, Interesting

    There was once a time that Russia would have just kept schtum. How many UFO reports are due to similar failed firings prior to the end of the Cold War?

    1. Re:Back in the day... by bertoelcon · · Score: 5, Funny

      Everyone without a tinfoil hat knew it was a failed rocket of some kind.

      Thats because the tinfoil hats block that kind of mind control.

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  3. Re:Testing missiles? by hwyhobo · · Score: 5, Funny

    It was supposed to detonate over the polar cap and melt it to shut up the global warming deniers.

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  4. bloody nonsense. by Cr0vv · · Score: 5, Funny

    That was no danged failed launch of a missile. Has anyone seen the images? This reply by the Russians is a coverup. This event was far, far bigger in scope and influence. This event was viewed by people, there was no mention of a rocket or a missile, besides how could a device like a missile scribe a path in the sky like that, and then break off with a blue spiral? Ugh. These people must think we are so stupid. This is a spiritual event, not a rocket event. blackcrow.

  5. At least it wasnt a nuke plant going up... by thaddeusthudpucker · · Score: 5, Insightful

    ...Like in 1986 when it took radiation alarms going off in fucking SWEDEN before they admitted that they had literally nuked a city or two...

  6. Re:No Fool by Stuart+Gibson · · Score: 5, Insightful

    But this story is in the Daily Mail. Since I don't believe anything they say maybe Russia *hasn't* denied it?

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