Looks like an ICBM to me. Best case it was a secret launch. Worst case it’s a Chinese missile designed to show us that they can hit us by surprise if they want to. Obviously it would have had to have been aimed away from the US so it would be apparent quite quickly it’s not an attack. Normally we wouldn’t do that kind of launch without informing the Russians, lest they get a little restless with their finger on the button. Scientists are saying it’s just a jetliner with a contrail, but that doesn’t compute if you look at the video. The trail wiggles like you’d expect a missile to, and jets normally don’t have glowing balls of fire coming out of their tails.
UPDATE: Someone on MSNBC is saying perhaps it’s an LDRS.
There’s all sorts of missile test sites, including a recognized submarine launch range, in the direction of the launch. There’s a Notice To AirMen for the area from the NAVAL AIR WARFARE CENTER WEAPONS DIVISION.
It is not an unusual case, except that someone was watching. Non story.
I didn’t notice any NOTAM published in that area from the Naval Air Warfare Center. Can you provide a link for that?
I don’t think it’s anything from Lucerne dry lake as it’s at least 150 miles east of where this seemed to originate from (N 34 30, W116 55).
I can’t seem to reach pilotweb.nas.faa.gov, but I swear there was one this morning.
Seriously, the San Nicholas launch site, which the internet says is home to the 30th Space Wing, is something like 20 miles from the “estimated launch site”.
It’s notice A2832/10. I can’t seem to make directly link, but if you display all NOTAMs for KZLA, it’s on the list. The location is right on, but I guess the times may not be.
Still, it’s not like missile launches are rare in that location, whether submarine launched, ship-board, or from the 30th Space Command (who I don’t think were asked if it was theirs).
KZLA LOS ANGELES (ARTCC)PALMDALE, CA.
2832/10 – THE FOLLOWING RESTRICTIONS ARE REQUIRED DUE TO NAVAL AIR WARFARE CENTER WEAPONS DIVISION ACTIVATION OF W537. IN THE INTEREST OF SAFETY, ALL NON-PARTICIPATING PILOTS ARE ADVISED TO AVOID W537. IFR TRAFFIC UNDER ATC JURISDICTION SHOULD ANTICIPATE CLEARANCE AROUND W537 AND CAE 1176. CAE 1155 WILL NOT BE AVAILABLE FOR OCEANIC TRANSITION. CAE 1316 & CAE 1318 WILL NOT BE AVAILABLE FOR OCEANIC TRANSITION. CAE 1177 WILL BE AVAILABLE FOR OCEANIC TRANSITION. W537 ACTIVE, CAE 1176 CLOSED. SURFACE – FL390, 09 NOV 20:00 2010 UNTIL 10 NOV 01:00 2010. CREATED: 08 NOV 20:52 2010
The timing of that makes me wonder if the Navy is looking for whatever was launched in that area.
The timing of the notam is after that launch. It def looks like the are looking for debris from the launch
Remember that NOTAMs use UTC (GMT) time, not local time.
Subtract 8 hours for Pacific Standard.
So that NOTAM as created at just before 3 PM on Monday, which is well before the “launch”.
However, it still covers today, so it can’t be a restriction for that event.
The sad thing is how little news there was on this. CNN.com was pretty silent all day. California media reported it, but it was quite as can be.
This was potentially one of the biggest stories of the year. Why was the big media completely silent on it for much of the day.
DISTURBING
the glow is the reflection from the sunset
the aircraft is travelling way to slow to be a missile or rocket, if you see the full video it travels only a short distance in 2 or three minutes. Most rockets will make it from the ground to orbit in that amount of time.
it was American flight 808. It flies the same route, and people were able to take identical pictures of the contrail the next day.
http://blog.bahneman.com/content/it-was-us-airways-flight-808