What was the mystery missile?

[XT]

It’s because you have to be able to think in Russian to make the missiles guide and launch properly…

-XT

[42fish]

@xtisme

Did it not hit the ground too?

-XT

You believe in that liberal propaganda about ‘the ground’? Sheeple!

[Ravenman]

Gravity is “only a theory.”

Teach the controversy!

[Hold_Fast]

@joebuck20

I can’t believe no one’s stating the obvious here - that it was in fact a missile, but the government’s playing dumb because they don’t want to fess up to whatever secret activities they were conducting out there. It certainly wouldn’t be the first the military has told a boldfaced lie in an effort to cover something up.

Haha, so the military is conducting big-top-secret operations right outside of LA? They must paying their research-site coordinator too much.

[gonzomax]

It was swamp gas.

[This_Just_In_2]

I’m going to have to go with my gut feeling here - the contrails are made by a zombie Hussein launching the missing Iraqi WMD’s.

Timely, given Bush’s new book.

[Chief_Pedant]

Mods: any chance of moving this to GQ so we can mention that it’s neither a missile nor a mystery–just an ordinary airplane contrail?

Saw a news report earlier that said the Defense Department insisted it was not a missile.

The reporter goes on to end the article with: “The best guess right now is that it was either an airliner or an amateur rocket, but we may never know for certain.”

So…an amateur rocket launched from the sea is still a possibility? If amateurs launch rockets, the military somehow can’t identify those as “missiles”? Here’s an idea: have amateurs launch any rocket attacks against the US. Apparently our defense schemes only identify commercial/official rockets.

What exactly, is the IQ above which one is not allowed to be a news reporter?

[Squink]

@Chief_Pedant

So…an amateur rocket launched from the sea is still a possibility? If amateurs launch rockets, the military somehow can’t identify those as “missiles”?

They’d be lying if they did. Rockets lack guidance systems, while proper missiles have a guidance system.

[Chief_Pedant]

@Squink

They’d be lying if they did. Rockets lack guidance systems, while proper missiles have a guidance system.

Somehow I suspect a “missile” detection system that only detects inbound long threatening things shaped like a missile if they contain guidance systems would not get a pass by the military based on a nuanced definition of a word as it applies to munitions. But hey, I guess that sort of splitting of hairs is what keeps the paranoid and naive going when they parse out the various denials issued by the Gubmint, huh? And identifying such an object as a missile instead of a rocket would be a “lie,” huh?

FWIW, it’s much more reasonable to say that missiles are a subset of rockets in common parlance and that many rockets (including most of the non-toy ones shot off by either the military or a space agency) have a guidance system but are not missiles carrying munitions. I realize there is a determination to find some sort of nefarious cover-up here, Squink, but you are barking up the wrong tree. I’m pretty sure if the military says it’s not a missile they are including all rockets large enough to leave this trail–even if they don’t have guidance systems or carry munitions at all.

[Snowboarder_Bo]

@Chief_Pedant

This is a great point. The military has a long and obvious history of deceiving the public about its various nefarious missions. The likeliest explanation here is a de-population chemtrail (cleverly disguised as a “missile launch” to throw off the Public) from a Government Program, possibly in an effort to reduce future healthcare costs in over-populated areas. Of course, like former Ambassador Ellsworth said on the TV news show, perhaps the military decided to do a submarine ballistic missile launch just to remind the Asians that we can. The key is that the military always denies to the US Public even if the purpose of the mission is to have the Enemy know our capability. And I think everyone is being way too hasty ruling out aliens…if it is an alien launch, you can bet the military is going to cover that up, too.

The key to getting to the Truth is to look for the most likely explanation, which is almost always Conspiracy of some kind, rather than utterly ordinary events.

It’s all very exciting.

See? Now that’s rampant speculation! Well done, sir, well done! I find your ideas intriguing, and wish to subscribe to your newsletter!

[Susanann]

@Chief_Pedant

the Defense Department insisted it was not a missile.

The government says it was not a missile.

Why won’t you believe?

[WarmNPrickly]

This guy thinks it was US Airways Flight 808.

[Alienhand]

ABC report on Pentagon statement.

@ABC News

“With all the information that we have gathered over the last day and a half about this condensation trail (contrail) off the coast of southern California on Monday night, both within the Department of Defense and other U.S. government agencies, we have no evidence to suggest that this was anything other than a contrail caused by an aircraft,” Pentagon spokesman Col. David Lapan said.

But…

@ABC News

Lapan said the Pentagon is not interested in tracking down the plane responsible for a story that drew worldwide attention. The U.S. military will not continue to gather specifics such as how far the plane was flying or where it may have been traveling to.

He speculated that perhaps the Federal Aviation Administration might have the capability of making those determinations, but as far as the military’s concerned the case is closed.

The conspiracy nuts are going to be busy for awhile. Nice try at punting the ball, though.

[Tom_Scud]

Nobody has mentioned the Space Nazis yet.

[ShibbOleth]

Sorry, I was viewing some Internet pr0n that evening and may have let 'er rip. My apologies for all of the consternation I may have caused.

[fiddlesticks]

For what it’s worth, a friend of mine who is in the business of knowing the differences between missile contrails and airplane contrails says it is an airplane. So disregard my earlier conspiratorial musings…

[Duckster]

The result of Glenn Beck taking Viagra.

[Susanann]

@fiddlesticks

For what it’s worth, a friend of mine who is in the business of knowing the differences between missile contrails and airplane contrails says it is an airplane. So disregard my earlier conspiratorial musings…

Jane’s Editor: Yeah, That Was A Missile

by Stephan Tawney on November 10, 2010

*Despite the new common wisdom about jet contrails, an editor for Jane’s Defence Weekly says that missile-like objected spotted off the coast of California was definitely a missile.

But Doug Richardson, the editor of Jane’s Missiles and Rockets, examined the video for the Times of London and said he was left with little doubt.

“It’s a solid propellant missile,” he told the Times. “You can tell from the efflux [smoke].”

Richardson said it could have been a ballistic missile launched from a submarine or an interceptor, the defensive anti-missile weapon used by Navy surface ships.

http://amerpundit.com/2010/11/10/janes-editor-yeah-that-was-a-missile/

[Sateryn76]

So, now, what’s this? Red Vapor Trail in NYC?

Experts say it’s a contrail, but it’s moving awfully fast…

Could recent volcanic eruptions or something have had an effect on particulate matter at sunset to cause these uncommon contrails all of the sudden? Just a coincidence, since they’re both on tape? The Soviets? Martians?

[lieu]

That silly ol’ USS Bedford. What kind of shennanigans are they up to now?