How did we miss this yesterday?

[sarah]

http://liveshots.blogs.foxnews.com/2...ff-cali-coast/

Mystery Missile Launch Off Cali Coast

WASHINGTON -- The U.S. Military is scrambling to find out what was seen in skies over Los Angeles last night after a local CBS news helicopter captured video that appears to show a major missile or rocket launch from the Pacific Ocean just north of Santa Catalina Island.

The video shows an enormous condensation trail following a brightly lit object, similar to images seen during a space launch.

From the video "the homeland is never in danger" LOL

[jimmyrig]

Because it never happened

[Black & Tan TJ]

I saw this but didn't think much of it since it happens rather often. A friends father works at Vandenberg but will never comment on what he does. Just one of those things I guess. Try Old Fart, he's probably has some ideas of what it was and where it came from.

Under the radar Cheers, B&T TJ

[Old Fart]

Haven't heard anything "official" - but if I do I'll let you know.

[RAT]

The Russians are coming, the Russians are coming. Oh, wait, they are no more. The Taliban is coming, the Taliban is coming. Oh, wait, they don't have a Navy. The Americans are coming, the Americans are coming...

[nwoods]

I subscribe to Launch Alert and he's trying to compile enough facts and accounts to confirm our rule out some of the speculation.
http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/launch-alert

Current info( as quoted from Launch Alert):

The event shown in the news helicopter video is one of two things:

1. The launch of a small- or medium-sized solid fuel missile from the Point Mugu Sea Range, an established military test and training area close to Los Angeles used for live-fire tests of various types of missiles from San Nicolas Island, surface ships, submarines, etc.

2. A jet contrail. This is a real possibility. Jet aircraft passing through the "contrail zone" produce vapor trails. The area off of the California coast is one of the busiest air traffic areas in the U.S. During the cooler months of the year, the contrail zone drops down in altitude and often falls into the same altitude range as that used by many jet aircraft. Each year, between October and April, I get asked if Vandenberg AFB had launched something. These are almost always contrails. Depending on your perspective, a distant jet contrail can look like a climbing missile or launch aftermath.

The video "looked" like a missile launch. However, I would need to know if the news helicopter camera used normal magnification or zoomed-in to capture the event. A telephoto view of a distant jet could look like a missile.

The other important piece of information I would need to know is whether a Notice to Airmen or Notice to Mariners was in effect yesterday afternoon. A bit of caution here: In the past, the Coast Guard has had more or less permanent warnings on the books about some areas possibly being closed due to missile firings. This is not what I would need to see. I would want to know if there was a unique NOTAM or Notice to Mariners issued for that area for yesterday.

Once I obtained a NOTAM, I would look at the header to see which organization issued the notice (you often get a specific military base or unit).

Regards,

Brian Webb

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[nwoods]

Update:
-------------------------


The following is being posted to my Launch Alert Newsleter and provided to people who are not newsletter subscribers:



Here are some additional thoughts regarding yesterday afternoon's mystery missile launch off of the southhern California coast.



I have viewed the video and it indeed looks like the launch of a small to medium size solid fuel missile taken at fairly close range.



One thing I noticed was a helicopter in the foreground. I wonder if that was another news helicopter or a miltary helicopter securing the airspace around the launch site and photographing the launch.



One question I have is why was the news helicopter so conveniently placed to capture the video. A news tip perhaps.



Another thing I noticed is what appears to be land (perhaps an island) in the foreground. I wonder if the missile was launched from the U.S. Navy's San Nicolas island, a known launch site for small- and medium-sized missiles*.



According the media reports, there were No Notices to Airmen or Notices to Mariners telling aircraft and ships to stay away. In order the find a military issued Notice to Airmen (NOTAM), you have to know which web site to go to (https://www.notams.jcs.mil?) and how to perform a search. Furthermore, once an operation is finished, the applicable NOTAM (and airspace closure) is cancelled and it disappears off of thw web site).

My understanding is that it is not that easy to locate cancelled or old NOTAMs. To do so takes some digging.


The ocean area west of Los Angeles and Ventura County is an established test range for military weapons and the area is equipped with radar tracking, telemetry collection, and other assests.



At this point this is all I can add.



Regards,



Brian Webb
www.spacearchive.info



*In the past few years, launches from San Nicolas Island have included missiles for a U.S.-Israel missile defense test and a rocket built by cadets from the U.S. Air Force Academy.





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[jimmyrig]

Wolverines!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[RAT]

Wolverines!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Dude, great movie man!

[Old Fart]

Commercial aviation can be ruled out pretty easy. Even at the "civilian" level, airliner tracking is easy for virtually anyone with internet access.

[Jason]

Jeff, if this was in fact a plane, wouldn't the FAA be able to identify what plane was in that air space at that time?

[Old Fart]

Very easily. As I posted above, tracing civilian airliners, with a few exceptions (they strip the transponder off of some VIP flights like AF1) is available to the general public.

[Pikeman]

Well I can say it wouldn't be the first time an Accidental Discharge happened with a Missile. Another possible explanation since it has caught "Officials Unaware"

[Old Fart]

One of the pundits on a forum I hang out on tried to explain it away as US Airways flight 808 (Honolulu/Phoenix). Flight path doesn't match the camera angle.

http://flightaware.com/live/flight/USA808

AD is a possibliity. Or a Planned Firing that got miscommunicated. Hell, the USAF managed to accidentally load nukes on B-52's and fly them around (and I'd imagine that takes a bigger foul up than an "oops" with a missile)

[Roger]

There's no way that was an aircraft. The shape of the contrail matches a rocket's. The Military explaination is so lame, I doubt if anyone believes them. I'm surprised they didn't try to claim it was a weather balloon. No wait, they tried that in New Mexico back about 1947 or so...