"MYSTERY MISSILE" LAUNCH: The buzz began in southern California on Monday   
   night, then quickly engulfed the entire World Wide Web. A photographer onboard   
   a CBS News heliocopter filmed an apparent missile cutting through the sunset   
   sky west of Los Angeles on Nov. 8th--and no one would claim credit for it. The   
   US Dept. of Defense issued this statement the next day: "All DoD entities with   
   rocket and missile programs reported no launches, scheduled or inadvertent,   
   during the time period in the area of the reported contrail. NORAD and   
   USNORTHCOM confirmed that it did not monitor any foreign military missile   
   launch off the California coast yesterday."   
       
   So what was the mystery missile?   
       
   The idea of a missile near Los Angeles is not extraordinary. "Many rockets are   
   launched from the Vandenberg Air Force Base just up the coast from Los   
   Angeles, and even more come from the Navy's sea range, which occupies a large   
   swath of waters adjacent to Los Angeles and Ventura country," notes veteran   
   rocket-photographer Brian Webb, who monitors launches in the Southern   
   California area and sees them quite often.   
       
   Usually, however, launches are announced in advance, giving aviators and   
   mariners time to get out of the way. "Even if an operation is hush-hush, the   
   military will still issue appropriate safety notices," notes Webb. A   
   total-surprise launch is rare.   
       
   There is another possibility more likely than a mystery missile: It might have   
   been an ordinary contrail. "The airspace off of the California coast is among   
   the busiest in the U.S.," continues Webb. "Aircraft contrails form in a region   
   called the contrail zone. In southern California, this zone lies approximately   
   between 33,000 and 38,000 feet. During the cooler months of the year, this   
   region drops down in altitude to the area where many jets fly. This produces a   
   large number of visible contrails."   
       
   "Depending on an observer's perspective, a horizontal contrail can appear to   
   be climbing steeply and resemble a rocket or missile trail," he says.   
       
   Nov. 8th wouldn't be the first time a contrail was mis-identified.   
   Spaceweather.com frequently receives reports of apparent comets, meteors, and   
   decaying satellites that are really airplane exhaust lit up by the setting   
   sun. This could be such a case.   
       
   Indeed, evidence is mounting in favor of the contrail explanation. First, take   
   a look at these pictures comparing the Nov. 8th event to other known airplane   
   contrails. They all look like missiles--an artifact of camera-contrail viewing   
   geometry. Second, reader Rob Matson notes that "a Boeing 757-200 from Honolulu   
   to Phoenix flew right over Catalina Island at 37,000 feet at the time in   
   question. Here is a map of the flight." Another reader, Paul Carreiro of Los   
   Angeles, observes that "there have been no reports of any noctilucent cloud   
   activity of the type which follow every sunset launch event we see here in   
   Southern California. The lack of noctilucent reports or photos is further   
   evidence that the object creating the trail did not transit through the   
   stratosphere."   
       
   In short, it was probably an airplane.   
       
       
   Regards,   
       
   Roger   
      
   --- D'Bridge 3.56   
    * Origin: NCS BBS (1:3828/7)