Rocket Launch In Colorado

Enlarge the pic - there is nothing at the end of the trail. probably a contrail and the plane has traveled away.

reply to post by ajniss

Maybe. But if you watched it for 5 minutes and it was already "heading up", it was a pretty slow rocket. Too slow to get into space.

reply to post by cheesy

It has something to do with an anomalous radar return?

This was no plane at all i under stand what a plane looks like and does i live by buckley and can tell whats a rocket and a plane this was a rocket going into space and i saw the left over trail its pretty creepy ive been googling all night and searching local area news site and there is nothing posted

reply to post by ajniss

there is nothing posted

Maybe because it was a plane.

s18.postimage.org... here is the trail going straight up

reply to post by Phage


yes, of course, look at the top of the smoke, the disappearing while the bottom is thicker .. meaning that leads from the top down instead of bottom up???

reply to post by ajniss

Rockets don't go straight up, not for long. But there is no way to tell from that picture whether the contrail is vertical or not. contrailscience.com...

reply to post by cheesy

I cannot understand what you are saying/asking. The thread you linked has was not about a meteor.

I do appreciate your comment man maybe i should of changed the title of it to rocket or plane? it was just so strange to see it go fast and at an angle like it was never seen a plane like that it wasnt moving slow at all it was continiously moving up at an angle then dissappered in the clouds you figure you would see the plane again?

reply to post by ajniss

It's pretty hard to see a plane that is 7 miles above you. Not so hard to see the contrail it leaves.

there is always activity around that base its crazy just by the angle and how it looked just assumed a rocket im glad i posted it on here clearly answered my questions that is the reason i posted it on here and put the title in so i can get an answer right away cool picture dont you think?

reply to post by Phage

OP I'm from Florida and have seen numerous shuttle launches from miles away from the Cape. One tell tale sign is you can see the flame from the booster rockets ...although quite bright on the shuttle...on a good day you could clearly see them on say a Delta rocket launch as well all depending at how early in the launch one was viewing it.

Just curious, at what point did you actually obtain your visual...if you could give a ballpark...what altitude was it at when you saw it, more, did you see any signs of actual liftoff from the AFB?

here is the trail s18.postimage.org... it was actually coming from the base its self


reply to post by UberL33t

Wow. Yes, I saw this. A little before 10 AM, after arriving at work, I looked up and saw what I thought at the time was a crazy spiraling contrail. I pointed it out to a co-worker, went inside and thought nothing else of it.

Having never seen a rocket launch, i initially didn't make the connection. But now, it makes total sense. Having seen countless aircraft contrails, I have never seen one that spiraled like this one did.

At the time, a stunt plane or an out-of-control aircraft, were my possible explanations. Like i said, i didn't have the time to give it much thought. But, a rocket launch definitely seems like the most logical and correct explanation.

reply to post by ajniss

In the direction of the base perhaps but I don't see how you can say it came from the base.
I can't find anything which indicates Buckley has launch facilities. The 460th operates the DSP satellites but those are launched from Vandenberg.

Originally posted by ajniss
This was no plane at all i under stand what a plane looks like and does i live by buckley and can tell whats a rocket and a plane this was a rocket going into space and i saw the left over trail its pretty creepy ive been googling all night and searching local area news site and there is nothing posted

Even though it was at quite a distance from my location, I knew that it was not just an ordinary aircraft contrail. And from the angle i saw it, the spiral trajectory was much more pronounced.

reply to post by Firewater

But, a rocket launch definitely seems like the most logical and correct explanation.

Rockets don't have spiral trajectories. Not successful ones.

would you figure it came from the base in the general direction it did actually looked like it did im so glad im not the only one that saw this would you say it was fast?

reply to post by Firewater

As when i was coming off from the highway and took the picture of the last trail it did look like it was coming from the base or the general direction if you do see the thred another individual saw it also im not doubting you saying it is a plane it most likely is

reply to post by Phage