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.
Some more video footage from California on 11/9/10. More evidence of how aircraft contrails can be misinterpreted.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1vNCCkd7Qsg
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eJi2L4QC_fk
‘This footage was taken in Orange County California on November 9th, 2010 between 5pm and 5:30pm. One day after the original controversial missile footage was taken. Is it a second mystery?
It was taken from the 4th floor offices of Binary Pulse Technology Marketing through heavily tinted windows. It was taken with a commercial-grade HD camera by a professional cameraman employed by Binary Pulse.
The trail clearly began over the ocean and shot straight up from a billowing cloud of smoke. It then took a sharp change of course, heading south and west...eventually disappearing.’
Sorry WoofDog you are letting your theories run away with you. I am retired UK military with a hobby in aircraft photography. I have no agenda. I’ve seen several of these aircraft contrails during sunset and sunrise. I know how they can be deceptive. It is purely down to perspective. The casual observer will view them and immediately think some sort of missile.
As predicted there would be more attention paid to aircraft contrails in the region after the news footage. Other people have now captured these contrails. As you can see they are reporting them as ‘missiles’. Hopefully more of these aircraft contrails in the region will be filmed?
I am confident that it is a missile launch test.
The following is from a different thread posted on FR with similar photos including the most current.
http://uncinus.wordpress.com/2010/11/09/4/#more-4
Some are saying that this is nothing more than a contrail from a jet airliner. It must have been a 747 taking off on floats 35 miles west of LA.
Now Jesse, you wouldn’t be committing the error of expecting naysayers of being logical, would you?
I sincerely wish NORAD was able to express your confidence on the matter. This, if as you describe (which is unlike what others who claim similar qualifications on the matter describe) should have been dismissed 24 hours ago.
I’m curious: How many missile launches have you seen first-hand?
That’s right, those Amish miscreants!
All they would have to do is find the flight plan of the plane that took off and the timing to dispel any questions about that.
So many questions- not an answer in sight.
Naahhh!! :-)
Titan IV missle launch...much more plausible.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WLO-IdGHf70&feature=related
Late to the thread but has anyone mentioned this possibly related story?
27 October 2010 Last updated at 15:42 ET Share this pageFacebookTwitter ShareEmail Print Computer glitch halts communication with US missiles
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-11637881
Also remember that awhile back(early in his usurption) that Obama sent out a directive to halt all routine testing of our nuclear and ballistic missiles. ?? It was very controversial at the time because our missiles need to be maintained and tested to insure readiness,etc.
Could this be our military doing the neccessary testing to protect this country while the idiot is away on his stupid trip?
Good question.
I’m cubicle bound- but haven’t seen any new info coming from DoD.
I’d like to know why Drudge has scrubbed this story from his site. Nothing- zip- nada.
They'll likely just let it fade-to-black in the coming days as if it never happened.
Fox News doing a segment on it now. DOD still saying that it wasn’t a ‘planned’ missile test. Also still claiming it wasn’t a foreign entity. Same kind of stuff they said yesterday.
Sounds like a little double speak to me.
But a Titan missile launch 30 miles from LA that only two people noticed? Doesn't make sense.
INDEED.
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