NP Rank:
Missile Launch California: Mystery Missile is a Contrail? Video
The Mysterious Missile Launch in California Can't be Explained by the Pentagon, But One Expert Says It's a Contrail
The Pentagon has not explained the mysterious images of what looks to be a missile being launched off the Southern California coast Monday night, but the Navy has said it was not their missile and the Federal Aviation Administration told NBC that they had not approved any commercial space launches in that area at that time.
One man, John Pike, a defense expert who is the director of GlobalSecurity.org, told CNN that he believes the 'missile' is a contrail (the visible vapor trail seen behind airplanes and rockets).
"It's clearly an airplane contrail," Pike said Tuesday afternoon. "It's an optical illusion that looks like it's going up, whereas in reality it's going towards the camera. The tip of the contrail is moving far too slowly to be a rocket. When it's illuminated by the sunset, you can see hundreds of miles of it ... all the way to the horizon.
There is some confusion however, that if this is the case, why hasn't anyone just come out and said that and explained it?
One other official told CNN that it the effect could be from a contrail and that it could be an illusion it was rising straight up, but there has been no official statement released to the media and the public.
"The FAA ran radar replays of a large area west of Los Angeles based on media reports of the possible missile launch at approximately 5 p.m. (PT) on Monday. The radar replays did not reveal any fast moving, unidentified targets in that area," said FAA spokesman Ian Gregor. "The FAA did not receive reports ... of unusual sightings from pilots who were flying in the area on Monday afternoon.
The Pentagon has said that right now this event is being considered to not involve the Department of Defense.
So what do you think it is? Check out a video report below:
NowPublic on Facebook
Crowd Power
-
Amy Judd
Vancouver, Canada



Most RecentMost Recommended Comments (27)
at 20:15 on November 9th, 2010
Great Story Amy
at 05:20 on November 10th, 2010
I have never seen an airplane trail that looked like that. Should be easily explained by looking at radar if it was a plane.
at 06:26 on November 10th, 2010
what do they ever tell us anyway really
at 07:47 on November 10th, 2010
I work at Sandia National Laboratories in Albuquerque, New Mexico and have considerable expertise in the areas of Multiple-View Geometry, Photogrammetry, and Image Processing. If there happens to be videos of the "object" taken from multiple viewpoints, and if the viewpoints (i.e., locations videos were taken) are approximately known and far enough apart, then it is possible to recover the 3D trajectory of the "object" as well as the velocity of the "object" at each point along the trajectory. This would allow one to discern the "object" as a missile or a jet plane. I have used multi-view techniques to recover the 3D trajectories and velocities of meteors and other targets of interest. If you, or anyone else, can provide me videos of the "object", along with the locations the videos were taken from, I can recover this information for you. At least two videos are required but the more the better. Accuracy improves with greater distance between viewpoints.
at 08:03 on November 10th, 2010
I work at Sandia National Laboratories in Albuquerque, New Mexico. I have considerable expertise in the areas of Multiple-View Geometry, Photogrammetry, and Image Processing. If videos from multiple viewpoints are available and if the locations the videos were taken are known, then it is possible to recover the 3D trajectory and velocity of the "object" at each point along it's trajectory. If these videos and the locations the videos were shot from are available, and if you can provide them to me, I can recover this information for you. This information would allow one to discern the "object" as a missile or a jet plane.
at 09:15 on November 10th, 2010
Has anyone considered the possibility that it was an underwater launch from a Russian Boomer?? Flexing their muscles??
at 10:03 on November 10th, 2010
Hey wasn't a North Korean sub listed in that area??? It was a missile. Plain and simple.
at 10:27 on November 10th, 2010
Has anyone given the thought as to an amateur rocket launch?
at 11:06 on November 10th, 2010
It is obvious that our military and government is hiding something from us once again.If it is an ICBM then this is a clear threat to Asia by the Fed - if it is from some other source such as China or Russia then its a show of might on their part. Either way whomever launched it is trying to destabilize world relations by flexing their nuclear muscles. I personally think the feds are backed into a corner and using their last few cards that they have up their sleeve to show that they still hold power. China is no longer lending money, the federal reserve is sending Obama oversees to find other lenders to finance our war efforts. Our shadow government is losing its hold on its plan. Time for all this madness to end.
at 11:18 on November 10th, 2010
How can ANYONE even THINK that this is a "jet contrail"??? The gov't really DOES think we are all that stupid! My 9 yo son, with no prodding at all and the sound turned off, knew what the hell it was immediately, and it was/is NOT a freakin' "contrail", it's a missile!
at 11:45 on November 10th, 2010
Yes the government does think we're that stupid - and unfortunately many of us are! A vertical contrail coming out of the sea? What kind of plane are they talking about? A ufo makes more sense :)
at 12:47 on November 10th, 2010
Are you serious? Your 9 year old son is somehow supposed to be an expert on this? I can't believe you even used that as an argument. Its an optical illusion. I've seen plenty of odd looking contrails in sunsets.
at 11:29 on November 10th, 2010
Its a missle, you can see the rocket flaring if you open your eyes. But the govt doesnt care? Why? Because they knew it was going to happen. Reference the book "Black Wind"
at 11:32 on November 10th, 2010
Maybe we should ask the pilot of the helicpoter (or plane) that was flying above the launch. Check the video from 9 seconds to 14 seconds in. The craft is in the center top to the right of the contrail.
at 11:44 on November 10th, 2010
I was a missile tech on a trident sub. One thing is I can say about this is this is not one of our missiles, ours use solid propellant and would not leave such a massive trail. If it was a rocket it was a very large liquid fueled one. If it was not on ground radar maybe it could be a commit fragment burning up in our atmosphere.
at 12:37 on November 10th, 2010
This is not an airplane. If it is an airplane it is of classified nature. Look at the angle of takeoff, the rate of climb, and the density/consistency of the exhaust (contrail) trail. No civilian aircraft can match what the video shows. Only military can.
at 17:44 on November 10th, 2010
CHINA CHINA CHINA and this is a very hugh warning to the usa they what us to stop printing money and you now know the truth.
at 22:21 on November 11th, 2010
So what will The US do to retaliate?
at 18:54 on November 10th, 2010
I have seen many rockets launched in Florida by NASA. If it looks like a rocket, and smells like a rocket, it is probably a rocket. I suspect the Chinese.
at 19:40 on November 10th, 2010
A high ranking officer with NATO command on East Coast told me today that "they know it was a missile launched from a sub". Unfortunately, they do not know "who's sub" at this point in time. Missile came down safely in Pacific unarmed. This is NOT an official news report. Just a guy who knows another guy.
at 20:45 on November 10th, 2010
I think it was a signal flair from the stranded carnival cruise liner drifting out in the pacific trying to get someones attention.. Help! We're running out of booze!!
at 07:37 on November 11th, 2010
One thing we can all agree on... This is another case of the Federal govt. blowing smoke all right... Blowing it right your your @$$ if you believe that was a contrail!
at 08:17 on November 11th, 2010
EDDIE WANTZ ICE CREAMZ
at 03:31 on November 12th, 2010
It's a con trail, the same as this one over London in 2007,www.flickr.com/photos/grertrude/3275535149/
at 11:35 on November 12th, 2010
Welcome to the Missile California!Suca lubov, bla-ba jaga-jagaSuch a lovely place (background)Such a lovely facePlenty of room at the Missile CaliforniaAny time of yearAny time of year (background)You can find it herebla-ba jaga-jaga...
at 19:00 on November 12th, 2010
FIRST OF ALL THEY SAID IT WAS A JET PLANE COMMERCIAL WHICH IS FALSE, COMMERCIAL OR OTHERWISE HAVE MORE THEN ONE JET ENGINE SO YOU WOULD THEN SEE MORE THE ONE CONTRAIL YOU WOULD SEE 2 OR MORE SPACED APART, ALSO THIS WAS NOT A CONTRAIL BECAUSE IF YOU WATCH THE VIDEO ITS A SINGLE CENTERED ENGINE WITH THE GLOW OF FIRE COMING OUT WHICH TELLS YOU ITS A ROCKER/MISSLE AND THEY PRODUCE THAT HEAVY WHITE SMOKE FROM THE FUEL IT USES WETHER ITS A LIQUID OR A SOLID, AND JET PRODUCE CONTRAILS AT MORE OF A HIGHER ALTITUDE AND ITS NOT AS VISIBLE NOT TO MENTION ITS LESS DENSE NOT LIKE THIS ONE WHICH IS HEAVY AND DENSE AND BRIGHT WHITE SMOKE NOT CONDENSATION, AND A CONTRAIL WOULD HARDLEY BE VISIBLE IN THE NIGHT SKY WHEN SMOKE IS VISIBLE WITH THE HELP OF THE MOONS LIGHT REFLECTING OFF OF IT..SO WERE BEING LIED TO SO THEY CAN COVER UP THE MISTAKE OF AN ACCIDENTAL LAUNC THAT WAS IN THE MIDDLE OF THE OCEAN WERE THEY CLAIMED IT CAME FROM WAS OEAN POSITION AND NOT LAND BASED..WHICH MEANS A MILITARY BOAT/SHIP ...LOOK AT THE VIDEO AGAIN AND WATCH THE FIRE COMING OUT OF THE EXHAUST FOLLOWED BY THE SMOKE IT PRODUCES...COMMERCIAL JETS DONT HAVE GLOWING FIRE OR VISIBLE HEAT FROM THERE MULTIPLE ENGINES WHICH YOU WOULD SEE 2 CONTAILS 30 FEET APART FROM EACH OTHER INDICATING ONE FROM EACH ENGINE OFF EACH WING, THIS IS FACTUAL AND NOT SCIENCE, COMPARE ALL THE NOTES AND PUT IT ALL TOGETHER, IT WAS NOT A AIRPLANE AT ALL..IT WAS A ROCKET WETHER AMATURE OR NOT....BUT MORE TOWARDS MILITARY AS IT WAS FIRED OFF FROM AN OCEAN POSITION. CHECK IT OUT AND MAKE YOUR COMMENTS.
at 20:36 on November 16th, 2010
Here is some "chatter" I received from a trusted Navy Vet. Decide for yourself. I am *ABSOLUTELY SURE* that this 'intelligence' report, below, is TRUE. I spent the early years of my Navy Pilot career in ASW (Anti-Submarine Warfare), and every bone in my body -and all my senses tell me that this WAS a CHI-COM display of their military prowess, just off our shore. They KNEW we would 'see' it and they wanted to see what our reaction would be. It HASN'T been good!We NEED to be VERY, VERY afraid . .NOT just because the CHI-COMS have the capability and are apparently macho enough to 'show' it . . BUT because of the PITIFUL display of our military and media . ..trying to dissuade the public from even thinking it WAS a missile. What IS pitiful . . is our TOTAL LACK of STRONG military response . . we SHOULD have been out there within minutes . .dropping depth charges and torpedoes! THAT would have been an appropriate response. If asked what we were doing . ."oh . . just a standard Naval exercise."OF COURSE it WAS a missile! My 32,000+ hours of flight time and intense interest in all things aviation, leaves me NO doubt that this was a sub-surface, solid fuel missile launch. They are telling us; "Who are you gonna believe . . me . . or your lying eyes?" I KNOW what MY eyes saw . .and it is NOT the hot air they are trying to pump up our collective wazoos! From Bob: I have a friend who was a high school classmate and is a retired Navy destroyer commander. He knows missiles and has his finger in naval stuff, too. He says it is very likely a Chinese missile and gives a lot of reasons...starting with NORAD and Naval district command going ape. And has anyone explained how a domestic airliner took off from the ocean surface 35 miles west of LA? Even Jimmy Doolittle couldn't have accomplished that one...he needed an aircraft carrier! I read where there are some eyewitnesses who were out on boats who saw the thing come out of the water like a flash. One guy claims he videotaped it. I'm waiting for that one to hit the internet...that is if the Navy hasn't confiscated his cellphone or videocam already. You know, one of those deals where they need to study it for national security reasons and then when the guy wants his stuff back....it got lost or "accidentally destroyed". Sooorrrriiiieeee! I was an intell officer, too...and we know how some of that crap goes... Bob As a former military intelligence analyst, I can say it is definitely possible that they did. They have the means and the motive. They are a far bigger threat to us than most people realize. Communist China is NOT our friend. Never has been, and likely never will be..... - J.S -dprogram.net/2010/11/12/china-fired-missile-seen-in-southern-california-wayne-madsen/ China Fired Missile Seen In Southern California - Wayne MadsenPosted by sakerfa on November 12th, 2010 Pentagon and its embedded media covering up Chinese show of force off LA(MadsenReport) China flexed its military muscle Monday evening in the skies west of Los Angeles when a Chinese Navy Jin class ballistic missile nuclear submarine, deployed secretly from its underground home base on the south coast of Hainan island, launched an intercontinental ballistic missile from international waters off the southern California coast. WMR's intelligence sources in Asia, including Japan, say the belief by the military commands in Asia and the intelligence services is that the Chinese decided to demonstrate to the United States its capabilities on the eve of the G-20 Summit in Seoul and the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Tokyo, where President Obama is scheduled to attend during his ten-day trip to Asia. The reported Chinese missile test off Los Angeles came as a double blow to Obama. The day after the missile firing, China's leading credit rating agency, Dagong Global Credit Rating, downgraded sovereign debt rating of the United States to A-plus from AA. The missile demonstration coupled with the downgrading of the United States financial grade represents a military and financial show of force by Beijing to Washington.The Pentagon spin machine, backed by the media reporters who regularly cover the Defense Department, as well as officials of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD), and the U.S. Northern Command, is now spinning various conspiracy theories, including describing the missile plume videotaped by KCBS news helicopter cameraman Gil Leyvas at around 5:00 pm Pacific Standard Time, during the height of evening rush hour, as the condensation trail from a jet aircraft. Other Pentagon-inspired cover stories are that the missile was actually an amateur rocket or an optical illusion.Experts agree that this was a ballistic missile being fired off of Los Angeles. Pentagon insists it was a jet aircraft or model rocket.There are no records of a plane in the area having taken off from Los Angeles International Airport or from other airports in the region. The Navy and Air Force have said that they were not conducting any missile tests from submarines, ships, or Vandenberg Air Force Base. The Navy has also ruled out an accidental firing from one of its own submarines.Missile experts, including those from Jane's in London, say the plume was definitely from a missile, possibly launched from a submarine. WMR has learned that the missile was likely a JL-2 ICBM, which has a range of 7,000 miles, and was fired in a northwesterly direction over the Pacific and away from U.S. territory from a Jin class submarine. The Jin class can carry up to twelve such missiles.Navy sources have revealed that the missile may have impacted on Chinese territory and that the National Security Agency (NSA) likely posseses intercepts of Chinese telemtry signals during the missile firing and subsequent testing operations.Japanese and other Asian intelligence agencies believe that a Chinese Jin-class SSBN submarine conducted missile 'show of force' in skies west of Los Angeles.Asian intelligence sources believe the submarine transited from its base on Hainan through South Pacific waters, where U.S. anti-submarine warfare detection capabilities are not as effective as they are in the northern and mid-Pacific, and then transited north to waters off of Los Angeles. The Pentagon, which has spent billions on ballistic missile defense systems, a pet project of former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, is clearly embarrassed over the Chinese show of strength.Likely route of Jin-class submarine from Hainan base.The White House also wants to donwplay the missile story before Presidnet Obama meets with his Chinese counterpart in Seoul and Tokyo. According to Japanese intelligence sources, Beijing has been angry over United States and allied naval exercises in the South China and Yellow Seas, in what China considers its sphere of influence, and the missile firing within the view of people in Southern California was a demonstration that China's navy can also play in waters off the American coast.For the U.S. Navy, the Chinese show of force is a huge embarassment, especially for the Navy's Pacific Command in Pearl Harbor, where Japan's December 7, 1941 attack on the fleet at Pearl Harbor remains a sore subject.In 2002, national security adviser Condoleezza Rice reportedly scolded visiting Chinese General Xiong Guankai, the deputy chief of staff for intelligence of the People's Liberation Army, for remarks he allegedly made in 1995 that China would use nuclear weapons on Los Angeles. Xiong denied he made any such comments but the 'spin' on the story helped convince Congress to sink billions of additional dollars into ballistic missile defense, sometimes referred to at 'Star Wars II.' ____________________________________________________________