My money is still on a “big ole jet airliner” contrail.
An ICBM is not going to be spin stabilized, so why would it leave a corkscrew contrail?
Airliners on the other hand, often leave a spiraling contrail, particularly the 747.
http://www.airliners.net/photo/Pakistan-International-Airlines/Boeing-747-367/0332946/L/
http://www.airliners.net/photo/Northwest-Airlines/Boeing-747-451/0289105/L/
http://www.airliners.net/photo/Northwest-Airlines/Boeing-747-451/0287638/L/
http://www.airliners.net/photo/Northwest-Airlines/Boeing-747-451/0301950/L/
http://www.airliners.net/photo/Iberia/Boeing-747-256B/0300775/L/
I live in West Florida, and I have seen enough Shuttle and Delta launches from the Cape to know the difference. The video clearly shows the smoke trail of a solid rocket booster. The close-ups show the exhaust flame and the trajectory is clearly vertical, arcing north and west.
A jet in that situation would be screaming "MAY DAY" on the emergency channel and demanding a straight in approach and a rollout of the fire trucks. Not buying it.
I think someone is pissing on our collective leg and telling us that it is raining.
Contrails, are water condensation from internal combustion engines....normally form, above 20,000 feet for aircraft, or very cold days from automobile engines...
quote:
Condensation from engine exhaust
The main byproducts of hydrocarbon fuel combustion are carbon dioxide and water vapor. At high altitudes this water vapour emerges into a cold environment, and the local increase in water vapor can push the water content of the air past saturation point. The vapour then condenses into tiny water droplets and/or deposits into ice. These millions of tiny water droplets and/or ice crystals form the vapour trail or contrails. The vapor’s need to condense accounts for the contrail forming some way behind the aircraft’s engines. At high altitudes, supercooled water vapor requires a trigger to encourage deposition or condensation. The exhaust particles in the aircraft’s exhaust act as this trigger, causing the trapped vapor to rapidly turn to ice crystals. Exhaust vapour trails or contrails can only occur above 8000 meters (26,000 feet), and only if the temperature there is below -40°C (-40°F).[3]
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Contrail