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Mystery Missile Launched Near LA

Posted by CmdrTaco on from the he-did-it dept.

J. L. Tympanum writes "CBS News is reporting the launch of an unidentified missile off the coast of California. No one wants to take credit for it." The article has visuals taken from a CBS affiliate's helicopter, and a Navy spokesman said it wasn't theirs.

5 of 858 comments (clear)

  1. Hmmm .... by gstoddart · · Score: 5, Interesting

    So, the two likely scenarios would be: 1) The US test firing something, but nobody knows who or what just yet because it is being kept secret. 2) Someone else firing off missiles off the coast of the US to demonstrate a point.

    I consider 1) likely, and 2) just downright scary.

    --
    Lost at C:>. Found at C.
    1. Re:Hmmm .... by NatasRevol · · Score: 5, Interesting

      I want to know one thing.

      Where did it land?

      --
      There are two types of people in the world: Those who crave closure
  2. It's just a jet contrail by Muad'Dave · · Score: 5, Interesting

    An expert named Brian on the seesat-l list says:

    This pops up every once in a while. Seen it myself.

    It's an airliner leaving a contrail that's being lit by the setting sun.
    It appears to be going straight up because it's coming straight towards
    the observer from over the horizon.

    If we had a time, direction, and location of the viewpoint it would
    not be difficult to determine which flight it was.

    The contrail more than likely also shows on satellite weather imagery.

    As many of us here know who have observed known missile launches, this
    thing is moving WAAAAAAAAY too slow.

    --
    Tiller's Rule: Never use a word in written form that you've only heard and never read. You will end up looking foolish.
    1. Re:It's just a jet contrail by Volante3192 · · Score: 5, Interesting

      I think I found it:

      http://goes.gsfc.nasa.gov/goeswest-lzw/california/vis/

      Start at
      1011081945G11I01.tif 08-Nov-2010 15:03 506K
      and watch the contrail go south across the coast through
      1011082200G11I01.tif 08-Nov-2010 17:23 484K

    2. Re:It's just a jet contrail by Volante3192 · · Score: 5, Interesting

      I made a really primitive animated gif out of those shots:

      http://www.sinecreations.com/GOES.gif