Mystery Missile!: "Theories" II

More theories about the Mystery Missile: It was a missile fired by China: Frankly this hypothesis is weaker and sillier than any UFO-theory, because a missile launch would have been detected by radar from many military and civilian installations. Also, why? Why would China all of the sudden fire a missile at us? This would have been such a provocative act that it would have sparked a loud response from many, many quarters. Also, how could a Chinese submarine not be detected so close to a major metropolitan area lined with military bases? As much money as we owe China, we would think they would more likely to make sure we stayed in one piece, to be around to repay them.


It was a jetliner contrail: One thing is true, the most spectacular thing about this crazy "Roman Candle" is its plume. Called a Condensation Trail or a "Contrail", the vapor trail behind the object is accordingly smokey and fluffy. Virtually no one disputes the object behind the shiny thing on-top is some kind of contrail.


CBS, who has had the best reporting on this story, features Pentagon Spokesman, Col. Dave Lapan stating: "All of the [sic] factors together leave us pretty confident that this was a contrail left by an aircraft". This, apparently after checking with  the FAA, Department of Homeland Security, Navy, Air force and The North American Aerospace Defense Command  or "NORAD".

UPS MD-11

What do the real experts think? The website ContrailScience.com (I swear, UFO Blog not making this up!) provides an amazingly detailed study and analysis. Looking at every possible angle, they have determined the "Mystery Missile" phenomenon to simply be UPS902, a United Parcel Service Company MD-11, a three-engine plane "that can leave a contrail that looks like it's coming from one engine". Evidently, this airplane flies daily from Honolulu to Phoenix, on occasion scaring the hell out of everybody in L.A. 


Imagine, finally, an explanation! Wait, what about the shiny thing on top? ContrailScience.com further explains this part of the phenomenon as being the reflection of the rays of the setting sun relecting from the body of the aircraft, like the sequence to right. The Mystery Missile is no more! Right?


Continued

Mystery Missile!: "Theories" I

Yes, even though it's 6-months later, even though it was a mass sighting and even though there may be some very good theories out there, this event and the object remain a mystery—a UFO.

What do people think this was? Well, this question prompts a dialog that extends to the weird and improbable. Theories abound but breakdown to these general categories:


It was a missile: When UFO Blog first saw it on TV, it looked like a missile, especially because newscast after newscast repeated that the "missile" originated 35-miles off the coast of California, northeast of Santa Catalina Island. In fact, it looked exactly like a submarine launched ICBM. But UFO Blog was not alone; this thing was was dubbed "Mystery Missile" from the beginning by news organizations.

Delta-II rocket

The main problem with the "Missile Theory" is the object was moving slowly but missiles are fast. Also, the billowing contrail emanating from the object was voluminous. Compare the photo to the right to the image of the "Mystery Missile" above. The picture to the right is a Delta Rocket II, T+ 47-seconds. Despite the thinner contrail, the similarity to the "Mystery Missile" is striking.


Another quirk is the object on-top of the "Mystery Missile appears to glow or shimmer, similar to a missile. This phenomenon will be explained-away in the theory It was a jetliner contrail.


In the final analysis, the "Mystery Missile" appears to not be a missile at all, mainly because no one has claimed it (more on this next episode). All government military agencies immediately denied any knowledge of a launch, except for one 3-days before—a Delta II Rocket fired from Vandenberg.


Also, the Military seemed caught off-guard; if they had launched a missile, it is likely there would have been a quick cover story, Remember, they had just launched that Delta Rocket just a few days before. The Military, our protectors from goofy missiles, was clueless! If it were a missile, it would have been caught on radar. 

It was an accident: The proponents of this theory are oblivious to the fact that there is a careful protocol for initiating a military missile launch; requiring the participation of more than one individual. If it were purposely launched off the coast of Southern California in a crowded airspace next to a gigantic urban center in broad daylight, it would have been no accident. Why would an armed submarine be near Hollywood?


As Fox News put it "If a test missile or an accidental missile was launched in the region it would have either come from Naval Air Station Point Mugu or Vandenberg Air Force Base. At sea it could have come from a U.S. submarine or a surface ship." But  from the get-go all Military or Aeronautic Agencies have denied any knowledge of a missile launch—including NORAD.

Continued

Mystery Missile!: "But Nobody Could Say What it Was"

On Monday evening, November 8, 2010, a UFO was sighted in the sky off the coast of Los Angeles. The object appeared shiny and emitted what appeared to be a large condensation trail (or "contrail").

This amazing sight was caught on tape by a local KCBS News helicopter Cameraman.

The following story about this event aired November 9, 2010, and was presented by CBS News through Good Morning America's Harry Smith and reported by CBS News National Security Correspondent, David Martin. It features the actual edited footage of the event (the uncut footage is said to be 10-minutes long!).

 

Mr. Martin starts-off by making it clear the Pentagon said they "still didn't know what it was" but then said "except, it wasn't a missile fired by the U.S. or another country". Skeptically, he then remarks "the video of, what looks for all the world, like the contrail of a missile...was shot...over Los Angeles"   The story goes on: both Navy and Air force indicated they had not launched any missiles. Mr. Martin quotes the North American Air Defense Command as stating that it had not been fired by "any other military". Again, an incredulous David Martin states "but nobody could say what it was".


The North American Air Defense Command further stated the object was not a missile because it didn't "travel fast enough" nor "have a big enough exhaust plume to be a military missile".


The comparison of the object, constant in CBS News' coverage, is to a missile. In fact, the phenomenon has been dubbed "Mystery Missile". The segment ends with an interesting exchange between Harry Smith and David Martin. Martin comments "The best guess now, Harry, is that it's either an airliner or an amateur rocket, but we may never know for certain." Smith then pointed to comments indicating the importance of the "perspective" or "angle" between the helicopter and the object. (These types of arguments promote the idea the contrail is from a jetliner.) Smith then asks "is there any scuttlebutt consensus around the Pentagon"? Martin replies "scuttlebutt says airplane, but nobody is willing to make a definitive statement because they just don't have the data to prove it was an airplane.  Finally, Martin sarcastically sums it all up: "they have the data to demonstrate that it was not a missile, but they can't prove what it was". This cracks Harry up.


CBS News' tone throughout the story is, curiously, a tad derisive. The implication being: The Military should have known about this-but didn't. And if they did, they're covering it up stupidly. But the Military may be only be a bit-player in this saga. Stay tuned.