(Editor's note: the following message was received by AvWeek and we thought it was worth noting for discussion on the Ares community. It is reprinted here unedited.)
Dave:
You would have joined me in going crazy this morning - just after 0630 local as I was entering the traffic circle, directly ahead about 15/20 degrees above the horizon was a spectacular show. Looked like a rocket ship climbing then nosing over and then climbing again. The-conical appearing 'contrail' appeared more as 'fire' than smoke leaving nothing residual. It was awesome. I slowed as much as I could but 20 seconds later when I got to a place where I could pull over it was gone. Damn. Great show. It - not coincidently, perhaps - was in the general direction of Area 51. Hmmmmm. I'd thank the USAF if I thought anyone would acknowledge.
Bill Sweetman comments: Just after some of the first Aurora stories broke in late 1992, I got a letter postmarked in Ridgecrest, Calif. - next to China Lake - describing rocket-like departures seen in the direction of the Nellis test ranges. (Area 51 is about 150 miles northwest of China Lake.) It was signed "Grendel" - which made further investigation tricky in case I met the guy's Mom.
There was a story a few years back in Air Force Monthly here in the UK of a guy walking his dog one night close to the perimeter fence of an RAF base. Looking across towards the floodlit hangars he saw an strangely shaped aircraft which was partially covered by tarpaulin. He described the uncovered part to aerospace journalists as being a very long craft with 2 tailplanes at extreme angles,(ie greater that the F-117). The story set tongues wagging as to maybe it was the 'Aurora' a/c. Apparently,so the story goes, the following day a C-5 landed and took away whatever it was. I think, if memory serves, the airfield was Boscombe Down, which is an aircraft testing facility.
This note is from a friend who has been in the aviation business for decades on both sides of the wall. The dip part of the launch is an interesting tidbit.
The 'conical'contrail shape has been written about on various websites as the exhaust from a PDW engine, which was supposedly patented in the '50's and went 'black'. Today, in the 'white' world, huge funds are being spent in order to design one that is usable:) - apart from the one (P&W) that lasts for more than 10 seconds of flight over the Pacific.
Maybe the nose over was merely to avoid some business jet/aircraft in the vicinity, or maybe he had to steer clear of an upper air route. Just guessing. Of course it could be something straightforward like, the ultra command of the Empyrian spacefleet being angry with the USAF for using their technology and the pilot was merely having to avoid the quadhydronian ITL (invisible to light lasers being fired at him.
The dip in trajectory could be a roll over maneuver like the Space Shuttle before Max Q, or the point where maximum dynamic pressure occurs. It could also be a reorientation to azimuth to line up for a correct insertion to a specific orbital plane. Either way this sounds like a space launch.
Could this be an early launch of the USAF Boeing X-37B? This was scheduled to happen in January 2010 last I heard.
Not meaning to hog too much space here. China Lake is mainly, as I understand, a weapons testing facility. Could the gentleman concerned have seen a landbased test of new type of ICBM intercepter missile? (I respect the fact that he's an expert in aviation matters). My thoughts being that if it was a black project craft I would assume it would be operated a long way away from civilisation with far less risk of being seen.
I've always found this mystery sightings amusing, especially since Russians had/have satellites too. Just who was it supposed to fool? Friends or the enemies? Remember my first guard duty. We've guarded a highly classified hangar in a certain complex and nobody told us what's inside. After three days a soldier from the night shift found a satellite image of the very same complex we guarded, with all the juicy details (later verified as true)- on Internet! :D
I was traveling east on Avenue E heading for work toward Edwards AFB south gate at that time. Morning sky was just getting first light. I confirm was was written except that strangely after a couple of moist days out here, there really was no contrail, just the plume. No contrails from other traffic that might have been in the vicinity to explain the "dip", but distances are hard to judge. The trajectory was definitely NOT ballistic (VandenbergAFB) and deninitely not reentry (Draconids).
The story set tongues wagging as to maybe it was the 'Aurora' a/c. Apparently,so the story goes, the following day a C-5 landed and took away whatever it was. I think, if memory serves, the airfield was Boscombe Down, which is an aircraft testing facility.
Could this be an early launch of the USAF Boeing X-37B? This was scheduled to happen in January 2010 last I heard.
Just who was it supposed to fool? Friends or the enemies?
Remember my first guard duty. We've guarded a highly classified hangar in a certain complex and nobody told us what's inside.
After three days a soldier from the night shift found a satellite image of the very same complex we guarded, with all the juicy details (later verified as true)- on Internet! :D
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NagMsl_z8KQ
or
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h43F-7LpA3o
??