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.
Secondly the helicopter pilot said that the glow lit up the sky.....
Third, that video seemed to be at comparable distance and remarkably similar to the speed, plume and trajectory of the video from California.
Though I remain open.....I am leaned more to the ballistic missile explanation.
I think it was just too far away to see the multiple nascent contrails. Positive of it.
Thanks for your reply.
Curvature of the earth dropoff is about a foot per mile. “Missile” plume was clearly visible in remaining sunlight.
A missile launch 30 miles from a city of over nine million people and only two see it?
To me, this question is very hard to overcome.
You could be right...I was judging by the remaining daylight on the later footage was waning quickly.
A report today said they shot video for ten minutes. What’s needed is all of that video along with all the coordinates and flight info to be analyzed by qualified professionals.
I think this is the only definitive way to answer it. But it doesn’t seem like this is going to occur.
thanks again...
Contrails can vary. It is all down to conditions. Some partially form, some disperse and some persist. There is also perspective to take into account and distance. The aircraft is moving away from the helicopter camera. People are still filming these ‘missiles’ being launched off California. See aircraft contrails from California back in December 2009.
http://uncinus.wordpress.com/2010/11/09/4/
Retired US Navy Admiral John Stufflebeem has provided an excellent on camera (Fox News) analysis of why he is confident that it was an aircraft.
Apologies I should have been more specific. According to the helicopter camera crew they assess that the trail was moving away from them.
Without the 100% match up with FAA radar tapes the 808 flight is a theory. Another aircraft was also listed on FlightAware as a possibility.
It is unfortunate the the FAA and military have not made it a priority to positively identify the actual airframe in question. No doubt the media will be attempting to track down the pilots of the two possible airliners?
Sure, because it makes no sense to even try. We should all just put 'er in neutral and coast along. Yeah...
If I was to have said banana, would you hear split and take off? Yeah....
Bullshit. That’s not how ICBMs work. They cannot be “steered” after launch. Compare to a cruise missile.
For. The. Very. Last. Time.
The Transocean Deepwater Horizon was lost to a drilling accident and fire --
NOT to hostile North Korean military action!!!!!!!
WILL you get over your wilful stupidity?
Some more examples of how an aircraft contrail can be misidentified as a ballistic missile launch. It is purely about perspective.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9sVmjpDZLN0
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DaCTP-i7tX8
The following images prove that it was no missile. The helo cameraman admitted that he filmed the trail for 10 minutes. No ballistic missile would be in view for that length of time. As the airliner approaches the coast the contrail dissapates and it carries on its easterly heading.
Here are some independent images. http://abclocal.go.com/kabc/gallery?section=news/local/los_angeles&id=7776159&photo=1
http://abclocal.go.com/kabc/gallery?section=news/local/los_angeles&id=7776159&photo=2
http://abclocal.go.com/kabc/gallery?section=news/local/los_angeles&id=7776159&photo=3
http://abclocal.go.com/kabc/gallery?section=news/local/los_angeles&id=7776159&photo=4
http://abclocal.go.com/kabc/gallery?section=news/local/los_angeles&id=7776159&photo=5
Images from a weather sat. The airliner contrail is shown and is blown south.
Yep. Watched all of it. IT was an airplane Art Bell
Andy, sorry for the very late response. But, I had not heard about any seismic activity. Can you tell me about it?
Hi,
Thanks for that video! Thank goodness for those Pleiadians! :)
They are definitely out of this world!
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