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.
I'm not sure our 'Fearless Leader' would tell any socialist or communist entity "not to get too cute" with the United States of America.
No offense intended to anyone - just my interpretation of historical events...
Don’t know if this footage was posted?
http://tiny.cc/4mgcp
Looks so much like a plane it’s silly that this is so discussed.
FIRST
they have to claim it was a UFO.
THEN
they can claim it was a weather balloon.
The Pentagon isn’t even saying it was an airplane.
I'm not saying anyone imagined anything. In that or any other incident. I'm certainly not saying that anyone 'imagined' something that looks like a missile was over CA yesterday. My point is that odd, sometimes very difficult or impossible to explain things occur rather frequently. Using logic, the best available evidence, and being impartial in examining it is the best course if you really want the truth. Not being able to explain something, as in the case of JAL1628, does not mean its actual explanation defaults to the most implausible choice. I've seen things that I cannot explain in my line of work (I fly often, sometimes 200+ flights per year.) Just because I cannot explain them, nor can anyone else, it doesn't mean that a race of super intelligent beings travelled many light years just to buzz around in a craft in defiance of the laws of physics and then go home.
Is that possible? Yes. Is it the most likely explanation? No way.
And I don't mean to be sarcastic at all. Your point is a good one, that very seemingly odd things happen a lot around air travel. Things that sometimes there isn't a good explanation for. My point is that a lot (not all) UFO research is done from the point of view of wishing to prove a theory true, and events or images that defy explanation are then easy to proclaim as 'evidence' of that theory.
When I saw that video of the CA mystery, I personally wanted it to be a missile. Because that's interesting. But looking at all the evidence and the comparative images, as well as the plausibility of various scenarios, I have concluded that it is not a missile. Even though I initially thought it was (and kind of feel let down that I now think otherwise.) But that's where the evidence has led me - the best and most logical conclusion. Happy to buy you a beer if I'm wrong...
I’m just saying it *looks* like a plane. I’m not saying what it is for sure yet, but it really really looks like one.
In the contrail photo, the jet is approaching.
In the missile video, the missile appears to be receding off to the NW...
Too slow for a missile. It was probably a plane with smoke
your answer is very fair, thank you. I referred to JAL 1628 specifically because there was substantial radar and multiple-plane visual confirmation of the oddly behaving object. Assuming that the radar returns were real, corresponding in space to where the visual returns were from pilots, it isn’t clear to me what the most plausible/mundane explanation is. The radar/visual documented movement ability of the object exceeds performance of any known vehicle, and the movement suggested intelligent rather than random/naturally occuring control. I think cases like this should be the primary focus of UFO’s as a serious topic, due to multiple mechanical/human corroboration items. It is presumably obvious that the above case fascinates me (curious, do you have an opinion on it?)
As far as this missile/not missile, arguably the oddest part of it is the government not being able to offer ANY kind of answer (except not a threat). Government ‘we don’t know, but it isn’t a threat’ answers are invariably interpreted as the opposite. On top of that, there are posters who appear very knowledgeable on the topic on both sides of the issue.
It was a trail from an airplane. Ever been to an airshow? That would have been the slowest missile since before Goddard
I was just thinking about that actually.
Huh. Just the *opposite* of Obama. /rim shot>
Cheers!
Screw the money, I want my COUNTRY back !
Cheers!
Incidentally, any truth to the rumor that the trail was really a departing spaceship of Extraterrestrials, leaving California before Jerry Brown could hike their tax rates?
...and has anyone seen Dennis Kucinich lately?
Cheers!
That wasn’t squat for thrust.Probably a private aircraft owner that participates in airshows rehearsing a routine with smoke. The speed of of a missile is many times faster
Maybe a "plane" on Europa or Gamma-2 but not one of ours.
I have looked at this film at least 10 times, and one final question. If you look at the projection of the craft, it seem to have upward vector versus the second craft on the film that is much slower, and seems to be paralleling the ground. Optical illuion?
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.