[brytlea]

I don’t know a thing about missiles, but this seemed really big for a hand held one. Anyone?

[ClearCase_guy]

When we see evidence of a hand-held missile, we do not call it a hand-held missile -- we declare it to be a spark in a fuel tank.
When we see evidence of a much larger missile, we do not call it a launch by the Chinese navy -- we say we have no idea.

[Springfield Reformer]

No model rocket I ever played with would look like that. Perspective is difficult without reference points, so the actual size is not obvious. Military folks have probably already done a trajectory approximation and are looking for it in a likely landing zone. Don’t like that it coordinates with BHO being out of the country and all the nuclear command and control apparatus with him, not to mention the nuke defensive glitch in Wyoming a few weeks ago.

But if it’s only a show of force, then who? If China, to what effect? Don’t go through with QE2? Seems unlikely. Terrorist launch? Maybe. But again, what’s the payload? If nuclear, we’d probably already have a mushroom cloud somewhere. If biological, well, that’s just the wrong way to do that; there are much better delivery models for that sort of thing. Or perhaps it’s not a demo of the missile itself, being it’s rather ordinary, but a show of new sub technology, sort of a ha ha we got through your defense perimeters. Then maybe North Korea? Or Iran? They would have an interest in making us feel exposed. I don’t know.

[screaminsunshine]

I grew up in Cocoa Beach and saw lots of launches. That is a solid rocket. Too fast for a liquid rocket or plane. It is heading downrange to the west at a low trajectory. Does not appear to be heading to orbit. You can see the plume and maybe a staging at the end.