California "Missile" Lanch

[brunota2003]

So, I'm sure you guys have heard recently about the supposed "missile launch" off the coast of California. Seems that the Pentagon today said the launch was actually a contrail from an aircraft...what do you guys think?

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20101110/ap_ ... ry_missile

Sorry the image is small:

[RL3AO]

Airplane works for me.

[RobWESTPACWX]

What annoys me, is that the PR on this event is a little slow to respond. I think they should just give a definant statment about what it was, possibly a flight number and nip this thing in the butt before it gets any bigger of a story.

[O Town]

Ive seen enough rocket/shuttle launches in my life and
thats exactly what that looks like to me. I know they shot
a Delta up in Cali recently but that was on the 5th. I dunno
but looks like a typical rocket trail, so I think it was something
a bit more powerful than a plane. But then again, maybe not.
Things that make you go .....hmmmmmmmmmmmm

[Aquawind]

What annoys me, is that the PR on this event is a little slow to respond. I think they should just give a definant statment about what it was, possibly a flight number and nip this thing in the butt before it gets any bigger of a story.

Exactly.. We can land on Mars and drive around rover thingy. We can take pictures of comets millions of miles away and yet we can't clarify this issue..

[RobWESTPACWX]

Well that is what makes me more and more nervous it may be a missile, if it was a plane and since this is such a huge story why hasent the FAA been like you know what. No it was this plane, a plane that close to the U.S coast had to have been tracked by someone. Just my thoughts. I'm not really a pro on this so I don't know if it was one or the other. Just thinking the longer answers are held the more rumors and theorys will evolve.

[MGC]

Had to be a plane....radar data indicated that the object was not accelerating. Sure looks like a rocket to me and I've seen several launches.....MGC

[vbhoutex]

The explanation satisfies me. My question is why the heck did it take so much time to give a simple explanation? If it had been accelerating I wouldn't agree with the explanation, but it wasn't so I don't think there is any kind of cover-up here.

[RL3AO]

I guess the conspiracy nuts are going crazy. They're saying it was a Chinese missile and World War III will be starting any time.

[JonathanBelles]

I've seen my number of launches, and this is exactly what it looked like. The one thing that bothers me is that in the video close up is that at the very end of the contrail it seems to be slowing down. This could be that it was moving away, but still. This doesnt seem like a plane to me.

[RobWESTPACWX]

Having President Obama in Korea right now probably is not helping quell those conspiracies.

[abajan]

The contrail explanation seems quite plausible to me but we should also bear in mind that the Military has been known to lie in order to cover up secret projects. Remember how long they denied the existence off the B2 Stealth Bomber after several sightings by civilians? (Of course, this is not to suggest that they were wrong to keep that plane under wraps for as long as necessary because IMO it would have been foolish to admit its existence. Why give enemies a clue?)