Mystery Missile Launch Seen off Calif. Coast

CBS News ^ | 11/9/10 | CBS

[Gennie]

(CBS) A mysterious missile launch off the southern California coast was caught by CBS affiliate KCBS's cameras Monday night, and officials are staying tight-lipped over the nature of the projectile.

CBS station KFMB put in calls to the Navy and Air Force Monday night about the striking launch off the coast of Los Angeles, which was easily visible from the coast, but the military has said nothing about the launch.

KFMB showed video of the apparent missile to former U.S. Ambassador to NATO Robert Ellsworth, who is also a former Deputy Secretary of Defense, to get his thoughts.

Scroll down for KFMB video showing the launch.

Video here

"It's spectacular… It takes people's breath away," said Ellsworth, calling the projectile, "a big missile".

Magnificent images were captured by the KCBS news helicopter in L.A. around sunset Monday evening. The location of the missile was about 35 miles out to sea, west of L.A. and north of Catalina Island.

A Navy spokesperson told KFMB it wasn't their missile. He said there was no Navy activity reported in the area Monday evening.

On Friday night, Vandenberg Air Force Base, in California, launched a Delta II rocket, carrying an Italian satellite into orbit, but a sergeant at the base told KFMB there had been no launches since then.

Ellsworth urged American to wait for definitive answers to come from the military.

When asked, however, what he thought it might be, the former ambassador said it could possibly have been a missile test timed as a demonstration of American military might as President Obama tours Asia.

"It could be a test-firing of an intercontinental ballistic missile from a submarine … to demonstrate, mainly to Asia, that we can do that," speculated Ellsworth.

Ellsworth said such tests were carried out in the Atlantic to demonstrate America's power to the Soviets, when there was a Soviet Union, but he doesn't believe an ICBM has previously been tested by the U.S. over the Pacific.

Officially, at least, the projectile remains a mystery missile.

[thesearethetimes...]

The image you chose to dispute the missile theory, and to bolster the contrail theory is unfortunate. While they both widen at the point of origin, and taper as they progress, they differ significantly in the point of origin. The missile image clearly begins VERY close to the ground, while the contrail image definitely is formed high in the atmosphere : /

[GalaxieFiveHundred]

Personally, I don’t think the presence of, or authenticity of it being a missile/rocket is in question as many people witnessed it. As others from the SoCal area have noted, we’re familiar with seeing launches from Vandenberg AFB, much farther away, and when conditions are right, they’re easily visible and identifiable as a launch body plume, not a contrail from a plane. Therefore, identifying who was responsible for the launch is the open item, IMO.

[StolarStorm]

They sure do look similar. But how do we know for sure that the image last year wasn’t also a missile test?

[texmexis best]

No reports of choppers dropping sono-buoys.
No reports of sub killers in area.

No reports of Navy ships in area running their active sonar looking for the bogie.

Just a couple of Coast Guard cutters.

It was ours.

[metmom]

EMP trial run?

[metmom]

I’ve been busy all day and this is the first I’ve seen it.

So what if it’s been posted before? Some of us have lives off FR.

[Michael Barnes]

Did you WATCH the video??

Besides, your "contrails" are backwards for a "missle" launch. The fat end should be closer to the earth...

[BreezyDog]

ABL has been testing in southern Cal for a few weeks.Probably related to that.

ABL is supposed to destroy the missle in boost stage....that didn't happen.

[John W]

Per a link at MSNBC: ContrailScience.com, a website that debunks conspiracy theories linked to contrails, suggested the sighting was an optical illusion.

[thesearethetimes...]

Hey, I just came back in and caught up thread wise, and saw your other images. Like others on the thread, I have to ask that IF it is a contrail, then why where the military, the Pentagon and Norad not dismissing it as such from the get go? Why all of the hesitation?

Tatt

[GSP.FAN]

Well good for you, i always was concerned if you had a life now i can stop worrying....

[Cap74]

Thank you both for your input and visuals.

You’ll both now be attacked and ridiculed for trying to calm the herd. I think, as often happens, the officials who are chiming in on this are doing so clumsily. It adds to the speculation and can make a non-event look like something being covered up or mismanaged.

Occam’s Razor is effective about 99% of the time when hard facts are yet to be established. It does not make sense that the United States would launch a ballistic missile without official declarations of a test or exercise. It certainly does not make sense that a foreign country or private enterprise would do so without a very clear reaction from the government and military. It does make sense that a CBS camera crew would capture an image at a certain angle and misinterpret it. Then, when pressing for answers about something they are misinterpreting, the press reports back what sound like evasive or inadequate answers from officials.

I think it is possible that this something interesting, and more information may appear that confirms that. But I think it is far more likely that this is simply an optical illusion that understandably caused some confusion and alarm.

Remember that this is basically how the UFO movement keeps chugging along. Something is seen that looks odd, no immediate explanation can be found, officials state the fact that there’s a perfectly natural explanation... and many conclude that there is now evidence of alien craft and a government cover-up.

[Michael Barnes]

Those would be static images. Again, VIDEO.

[adaven]

I have seen contrails just like our Mystery Missile here in Nevada. That was a good site you posted, however it seems like most people would rather believe that we’ve got an SLBM launch by the Chicoms instead of a beautiful contrail recorded by chance at the correct angle at sunset.

[Kahuna]

Tend to agree with you!

[writer33]

I saw what I saw, dude. No amount of trying to convince me otherwise, will work.

It can only mean one thing: You're in on the conspiracy. Time to spill your guts, Laz. You were the third man on the grassy knoll. LOL!

On a more serious note, knowing your candor to be nearly unequaled, I can say I believe you without sending you for an eye exam to explain a lack of more than one person viewing the logo.

[Raebie]

Wouldn’t a plan be easily explained by now?

[adaven]

You would think so!

[D-fendr]

Last year's event photographed from a different location:

"The actual New Years Eve contrail, viewed from Santa Monica. This is what the CBS "missile" contrail would have looked like to most people in LA, which is why nobody reported it."

More photos at Source.

The basic idea is this: Contrails only look like missiles from certain angles, it looks like a "missile" in one place, in other locations it is obviously a horizontal contrail. A missile launch looks like a launch from all directions. That the "missile is only reported in one general location, and not up and down from there, gives evidence of an optical/angular effect.

[SunkenCiv]

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/2624382/posts