Launch unexplained by military; NORAD official says missile posed no threat to homeland. The contrail was observed about 35 miles west of Los Angeles and north of Catalina island.
Spokesmen for the Navy, Air Force, Defense Department and North American Aerospace Defense Command said they were looking into a video posted on the CBS News website that appears to show a rocket or some other object shooting up into the sky and leaving a large contrail over the Pacific Ocean. The incident was captured by a camera aboard a CBS affiliate KCBS helicopter.
Officials are talking to the Air Force, Navy and NORAD as well as civilian authorities who control and monitor air space.