An as yet unidentified missile launched last night (11/8/10) during the Los Angeles rush hour was caught on video by a traffic helicopter camera person. The news report showing the video is here.
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2010/11/ ... 6716.shtml
Scroll midway down the page then wait for the video to load.
Mystery missile launch off Southern California
Don't know if it's mentioned in the above video, but it seems that there was another one of these last year as well.
http://hobbyspace.com/nucleus/?itemid=24960
Also
http://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/index.php?topic=23260
http://hobbyspace.com/nucleus/?itemid=24960
Also
http://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/index.php?topic=23260
As Betruger's first link mentions, the contrail is probably from a high-altitude jet liner flying in the general direction of the camera. I've personally seen some odd looking contrails before from aircraft passing overhead at dusk. They are quite interesting, until you figure out its a passenger plane. 
Those videos and stills are all of the subject event. Where did "last year" come from?Betruger wrote:Don't know if it's mentioned in the above video, but it seems that there was another one of these last year as well.
http://hobbyspace.com/nucleus/?itemid=24960
Also
http://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/index.php?topic=23260
Aero
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GW Johnson
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- Joined: Sat Sep 11, 2010 9:14 pm
- Location: McGregor, TX USA
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I could not get the link posted here to the video to load correctly, but I did see this video earlier today. It really did look like a solid propellant rocket flying at sunset lighting conditions. I've seen a lot of them, in all sorts of conditions. What I saw in the video was no jet aircraft contrail.
GW Johnson
McGregor, Texas
McGregor, Texas
A privately owned fast mover on reheat is one possibility. Would explain what appears to be rocket flame in the video.GW Johnson wrote:I could not get the link posted here to the video to load correctly, but I did see this video earlier today. It really did look like a solid propellant rocket flying at sunset lighting conditions. I've seen a lot of them, in all sorts of conditions. What I saw in the video was no jet aircraft contrail.
Vae Victis
That does look more like a flame than a glint of the Sun, but not so conclusively.
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid ... 8024652983
My money's on a contrail, not a rocket.
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid ... 8024652983
My money's on a contrail, not a rocket.
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GW Johnson
- Posts: 85
- Joined: Sat Sep 11, 2010 9:14 pm
- Location: McGregor, TX USA
- Contact:
If you carefully examine the viewing angle from the helicopter in the videos on the internet, that camera is looking SW. Based on relative shadow and light, the illumination directions on the plume pretty well rule out a west-to-east course with a direction change to NE-bound. This means the explanation of an optical illustion of an eastbound airliner contrail headed toward Arizona is crap.
On the other hand, those same light / shadow proportions on the plume are definitely consistent with a steeply rising plume bending over more horizontal toward the NW. So also is the pulsating "spark" at the head of the plume visible later footage in the videos as the sunlight fades. This is just about what the tailpipe flame of an aluminized-propellant rocket would look like, viewed from more-or-less astern on a NW-trending course.
To me, the illumination directions and the observed size as viewed from "some miles away" point toward a large-sized aluminized-propellant rocket vehicle rising near vertically initially, and later trending more horizontal toward the NW. This is no amateur "toy" launched from some small boat.
This is something big, most likely launched from a large craft, most likely a sub. Whose sub? I cannot say. Surfaced or submerged? I cannot say. Why was it launched off Long Beach Harbor? I cannot say.
There is a conspiracy theory floating around now on the internet that claims this was a missile launched from a Chinese "Jin-class" sub. The same conspiracy article claims it was a 7000 mile range missile that impacted in China. That's patently ridiculous because China is more than 7000 miles from California. But, that same conspiracy article says the missile went NW from the launch location. Hmmmm. Interesting, no?
Whatever it was, it was no airliner contrail, no optical illusion, and no amateur rocket launch. But the actual truth is being covered up. For whatever reason.
On the other hand, those same light / shadow proportions on the plume are definitely consistent with a steeply rising plume bending over more horizontal toward the NW. So also is the pulsating "spark" at the head of the plume visible later footage in the videos as the sunlight fades. This is just about what the tailpipe flame of an aluminized-propellant rocket would look like, viewed from more-or-less astern on a NW-trending course.
To me, the illumination directions and the observed size as viewed from "some miles away" point toward a large-sized aluminized-propellant rocket vehicle rising near vertically initially, and later trending more horizontal toward the NW. This is no amateur "toy" launched from some small boat.
This is something big, most likely launched from a large craft, most likely a sub. Whose sub? I cannot say. Surfaced or submerged? I cannot say. Why was it launched off Long Beach Harbor? I cannot say.
There is a conspiracy theory floating around now on the internet that claims this was a missile launched from a Chinese "Jin-class" sub. The same conspiracy article claims it was a 7000 mile range missile that impacted in China. That's patently ridiculous because China is more than 7000 miles from California. But, that same conspiracy article says the missile went NW from the launch location. Hmmmm. Interesting, no?
Whatever it was, it was no airliner contrail, no optical illusion, and no amateur rocket launch. But the actual truth is being covered up. For whatever reason.
GW Johnson
McGregor, Texas
McGregor, Texas