8 thoughts on “Crowd sourcing vs. network news

  1. Presumably the times are UTC (Zulu), so the valid period of the NOTAM is for the 9th at 2000 UTC to the 10th at 0100 UTC, or 12pm to 5pm PST *today* (Tuesday). However, it was issued just hours before the launch in question.Report

  2. If you check the relevant charts, you’ll see that W537 is quite a bit North of the suspected launch area, near Vandenberg AFB and is associated with aircraft weapons testing out of Point Mugu. An SLBM or ocean surface launch also requires a Notice to Mariners, and I’ve not been able to find any indication one was issued.Report

  3. NOTAMs are in Zulu (GMT) time…which fits this missile launch.

    Also, you can see a CH-47 “Chinook” helicopter in the upper-right frame of the video.

    Learly, this was a US Navy missile launch.Report

      1. Yeah, I think this guy has it right. If you look at the way the Sun is lighting the L.A. contrail, you can tell that the “lower” end of the contrail is actually much further West than the “upper” end. A missile contrail would have the lower end more in shadow than the upper, extending part. I’d guess the red light from the front tip is also reflected sunlight, and not an exhaust nozzle.

        I’m speaking as a private citizen here, not as a representative of my employer.Report

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