Posted on 11/09/2010 8:05:31 AM PST by 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.
If gawd-forbid, there was an actual launch of a Trident with active warheads (broken arrow NUCFLASH), which I give (<1% chance), they are denying it because they are hauling ass across the Pacific with every asset on the planet to retreive the w88 warheads.
I'd actually believe a amateur enthusiast launch rather than a US SSBN lighting off a Trident accidentally. I just don't believe it. Too many checks and balances.
A buddy of mine also mentioned to me me that when they loaded the test missiles, they could have launched a different tube if their was a computer mistake...launching a live missile rather than the intended test missile.....a supplication that I also give a <1% chance.
Whoa....
How about, "Oh, it was just a private company"....
Good grief...
Dropping The Shield
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2544706/posts
Wednesday, June 30, 2010 IBD Editorials ^ | June 30, 2010 | Investors Business Daily staff
National Security: The administration is ready to sign a treaty stripping us of our ability to defend ourselves against enemy nuclear missiles, including Iran’s and North Korea’s.
Obama appointee, Philip Coyle: Russia must pressure U.S. not to deploy missile defense system
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2548887/posts
You left out the private party: CalTech students/October Sky rocket club kiddies, or Sir Richard Branson firing it as a ploy to spark interest in his Spaceship.
All of which are VERY unlikely, imho!
Yes, but they don't do it in front of millions of people, and then absolutely deny knowing anything about it....
Ya never know.. Maybe there is a ‘Iron Man’ syndicate working on new stuff and as with Aurora and such, / Hollywood, working together,, like I said ya never know, of course it is always denied by anyone and everyone in a position of authority.
I missed shemp . lucky me. :-)
http://en.fotolia.com/id/3437259
http://www.shutterstock.com/pic-1756295/stock-photo-sunset-with-contrail.html
I can't believe the hype that is being generated on Fox News over this? Aircraft contrails can be mis-interpreted as ballistic launches. Just because a trail emerges out of the horizon does not mean a ballistic missile launch. Look at the aircraft contrail images from California back in 2009. It is all about perspective. I've witnessed lit aircraft contrails exactly like this.
Possibly a roll program, like a shuttle launch.
Your post scares me more than all the others.
Have you seen the video?
Hey man, watch the frekin video....this is no contrail leftover from jet combustion. I am a retired meteorologist and used to forecast contrails for a living. This is a BIG DEAL.
Again, watch the video, not the screen capture.
...or it just might have been the Chinese demonstrating a show of strength as a warning against the Obama-Bernanke devaluation of the dollar.
After all, the Chinese have threatened destroy LA with a missile, several times before.
The flash of light you saw in the sky was not a UFO. Swamp gas from a weather balloon was trapped in a thermal pocket and reflected the light from Venus.
fired standards - too large a tail stream for a standard - this was a BM.
-1) Top secret test in known test area.-
I’d vote for 1 or a variation of it.
2. that might be a bit of a stretch , imo.
4. God help us if we lose control of our codes.
the rest, not too likely..
Check out the full video. It clearly shows the missile at the top of the exhaust. Everyone is saying it’s a missile. The question is where it came from.
Tommyjo - If it’s just an aircraft, ATC would have dispelled it by last night. And the Pentagon sure as hell wouldn’t step up to the microphone and tell the world they have no idea what’s going on.
It MIGHT be contrails, but no one in power is behaving like it is, first off, by actually confirming it was an aircraft.
Re: missile launch a distraction
Interesting analysis of lame duck session at http://www.tnr.com/article/politics/77769/the-lame-duck-session ...
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