Update 11/12/10: The above video was removed without explanation. The Illuminati again? Surely. But the Pentagon says it was an airplane. Oh. Like an airplane could ever be misinterpreted as a missile, a giant bird or a flying saucer. Right, “Pentagon.” If that’s even your real name. Right, sure, yeah, whatever.
This video appears to be an airshow nerd’s analysis of a mystery missile that appeared over the ocean Monday night, about 35 miles west of Los Angeles. It’s short(ish) on actual information and longish on speculation, but that appears to be a theme when it comes to this particular UFO.
According to Yahoo News and CBS News, the Navy says it’s not theirs, Vandenburg Air Force Base isn’t claiming it, the Department of Defense said “Nyet”, and so did the North American Aerospace Defense Command and the U.S. Northern Command. Meanwhile, former U.S. Ambassador to NATO and former Deputy Secretary of Defense Robert Ellsworth thinks it “might” be an unannounced submarine-based ballistic missile launch designed to scare the Chinese.
The FAA hasn’t got the foggiest. FAA representative Ian Gregor said:
The FAA ran radar replays of a large area west of Los Angeles based on media reports of the possible missile launch at approximately 5 p.m. (PT) on Monday. The radar replays did not reveal any fast moving, unidentified targets in that area…The FAA did not receive reports … of unusual sightings from pilots who were flying in the area on Monday afternoon.
But the director of GlobalSecurity.Org says it’s clearly an airplane contrail, not a missile. According to CNN:
“It’s clearly an airplane contrail,” [GlobalSecurity.Org director John] Pike said Tuesday afternoon. “It’s an optical illusion that looks like it’s going up, whereas in reality it’s going towards the camera. The tip of the contrail is moving far too slowly to be a rocket. When it’s illuminated by the sunset, you can see hundreds of miles of it … all the way to the horizon.
“Why the government is so badly organized that they can’t get somebody out there to explain it and make this story go away … I think that’s the real story,” Pike added. “I mean, it’s insane that with all the money we are spending, all these technically competent people, that they can’t get somebody out there to explain what is incredibly obvious.”
The guy putting together the footage at the top of this post claims that’s rubbish; he claims that if the plume were heading toward the camera, it would have to be 20 miles across at the base. Hell if I know.
Here’s what I do know: wingnuts abound. Search Los Angeles Mystery Missile Launch on YouTube, and you get some awesome stuff. Most of it is just the same news footage captured, but don’t unexplained missile launches always bring the noise?
Ah yes, Pike. Related to commanding officer of the U.S.S. Enterprise NCC-1701, Captain Christopher Pike?
Just maintaining my wingnut status over here.
Of course, Violet! Everyone who travels in time knows that Captain Christopher Pike is global security expert John Pike’s unborn great-great-great-great grandson. In fact, last week Chris as a preternaturally spunky 12-year-old will be back in the early 21st with Kirk, Spock and Mr. Sulu wearing smart 1920s period clothing to shoot down this very missile with a German Imperial autogiro and once and for all save us from ourselves while making bold pronouncements about democracy. I heard all about it from Rose Tyler during that steamy night at the Vandenburg officer’s club. She wore a bow in her hair…I wore a bunny suit and a bandolier of photon gun charges…