[clamper1797]

It was VERY large and if you looked up you could not miss it ....

[SOSCEO]

Another rocket from Vandenberg AFB. I have a tremendous view from my hillside house in Santa Barbara.

[Constitution Day]

Are they conducting missile tests out of Vandenberg AFB?
I am not sure where that is in rel. to you, though.

[Incorrigible]

I'm going to take a shower. Keep us informed of any new developments.

[mamelukesabre]

Oh sorry bout that. I pushed the button by mistake. Hope I didn't hit ya

haha

[McB.]

Barry Bonds was at bat around that time!

[glasseye]

Missle interceprer test. 'Kill vehicle was launched from a Pacific island went after an ICBM launched from CA. I have a friend in defence industry, told me about this a week ago. Hope the test went well!!!

[Dakmar]

I dunno man, I taped like six or seven of those huge estes rocket engines to a '56 Plymouth hood ornament a couple hours ago, and...

[South40]

OK, I did it. But it was an accident.

[Dengar01]

I saw something similar around 7PM Central time over Chicago. I thought I was nuts. Any ideas?

[Steely Tom]

Tangentially related: Today I watched an odd looking airplane do repeated touch-and-goes out of the xxxxxx NY airport. This aircraft was odd because it was (a) a Boeing 707 (it had the characteristic spike on the vertical stabilizer), (b) painted entirely white with no markings whatsoever except for a tail number, and (c) had an odd boxy-looking assembly on top, located midway between the point at which the wings attach to the fuselage and the flight deck. This "boxy assembly" looked to me like some sort of sat-com antenna. Oh, and (d) no windows except for a little fisheye portholes toward the rear (and cockpit of course).

Very loud, and very very little smoke. I watched it fly directly away from me to the west, and I could see no smoke at all; even passenger jets which fly out of here all the time leave more smoke.

Anyway, I've never seen anything like it. It made me think that something is brewing if such an odd aircraft was in as obscure a place as I live. Take it from me, the Sultan of Brunei would not be visiting here!

Can't really compare with a rocket launch from Vandenberg, but still perhaps interesting. I'd love to know what this airplane is used for.

(steely)

[ElkGroveDan]

Yep the wife just called and sa8id she saw it from Elk Grove (where else?).

I think Vandenberg have been lobbing these things lately. If they are launched at the right time of day and they rise high enough to pick up the last rays of the setting sun again, they'll really put on a show in the darkened conuntryside below.

[LibWhacker]

Saw it in Sacramento. Quite a show. At first I didn't know what it was . . . A very bright point of light ascending northward on an unbelievably wide, bright, divergent tail. Thought for a second or two it was a meteor. Then saw the tell-tale puff of a rocket engine shutting down, just like the shuttle, and it was gone. I'm guessing it was a spy satellite being launched into polar orbit, since I can't see them testing the accuracy of a ballistic missile launched northward over the Continental US and/or Canada.