Possible failed rocket launch seen from Norway

[rfoshaug]

This morning, a unique spiralling phenomenon was seen in the eastern sky over large areas in the northern parts of Norway. It is a headline story on most Norwegian media today.

This Norwegian newspaper article has a very good image of it:
http://www.vg.no/nyheter/vaer/artikkel.php?artid=596385

My theory is that it is a rocket or satellite that has been rotating while venting gas or liquid, and it seems like a failed launch. Both Andøya and Kiruna suborbital rocket ranges deny launching anyting, as do the Russian government.

There are Russian military excercises going on, however.

Anyone have any ideas as to what could have caused this? I put this thread in Missions and Launches, as it seems very certain that this is a human-made phenomenon (ie. a launch gone bad) and not an astronomical phenomenon.

 

[rfoshaug]

More images here: http://www.nordlys.no/nyheter/bildeserier/article4750399.ece

 

[rfoshaug]

Norwegian Defense Operative Headquarter don't rule out that it may be a Russian launch, but do not want to speculate.

The Russian Northern fleet deny launching anything from their bases or submarines in the area.


Could it be a satellite in orbit failing spectacularly, rotating and venting something into space which is illuminated by the sun?

 

[rfoshaug]

 

[soltro]

On the Frisnit Navtex Decoder, you can read messages broadcasted on the maritime warning system Navtex.

The following search provides all messages within the last 24 hours with the word "rocket" in them:

http://www.frisnit.com/cgi-bin/navtex/v ... 9&type=24H

The last message reads:

ZCZC FA79
031230 UTC DEC 09
COASTAL WARNING ARKHANGELSK 94
SOUTHERN PART WHITE SEA
1.ROCKET LAUNCHING 2300 07 DEC TO 0600 08 DEC
09 DC 0200 TO 0900 10 DEC 0100 TO 0900
NAVIGATION PROHIBITED IN AREA
65-12.6N 036-37.0E 65-37.2N 036-26.0E
66-12.3N 037-19.0E 66-04.0N 037-47.0E
66-03.0N 038-38.0E 66-06.5N 038-55.0E
65-11.0N 037-28.0E 65-12.1N 036-49.5E
THEN COASTAL LINE 65-12.2N 036-47.6E
2. CANCEL THIS MESSAGE 101000 DEC=
NNNN

It seems like the Russians at least planned one or more launches, one of which may have failed (even if they claimed that they haven't had any failures...)

 

[rfoshaug]

We might have an explanation now.

Norwegian television broadcaster TV2 reports that sources in the Russian military confirm it was a rocket mishap, involving an RSM-56 Bulava ICBM launched from a Typhoon-class submarine.

According to the article, this would make it the 7th mishap of a total of 12 attempted launches of the Bulava, which is under development.

The article (in Norwegian) can be found here:
http://www.tv2nyhetene.no/utenriks/-det-var-en-mislykket-rakettutskytning-fra-ubaat-3052536.html

 

[Zipi]

Google Translation: http://translate.google.com/translate?j ... l=no&tl=en

And an older article about Bulava missile test: http://wmdinsights.com/I18/I18_R3_Update-BulavaTest.htm

 

[Alx09]

Giant Mysterious Spiral Takes Over the Skies of Norway

http://gizmodo.com/5422574/giant-myster ... -of-norway

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/worldne ... orway.html

What could this be?

Entry gate to the multiverse, anyone? (; Or a Russian rocket spinning out of control emptying its fuel on its way down...or NASA's "Project Blue Beam"?

 

[R1]

Re: Giant Mysterious Spiral Takes Over the Skies of Norway

The gizmodo site was too slow.

Here is a video about it.


[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1hrWjkn_DHs[/youtube]

 

[R1]

Re: Giant Mysterious Spiral Takes Over the Skies of Norway

There are many reports of Aurora Borealis in Norway, but it seems to be something
different this time, because Aurorae would not be something they're not familiar with.

Here is one video of northern lights in Norway:

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3sa-3DoXHQQ[/youtube]

 

[MeteorWayne]

Re: Giant Mysterious Spiral Takes Over the Skies of Norway

Since this is no longer unexplained (it's a failed Russian Sub launch) I will actually merge this with a thread in Missions and Launches and remove it from The Unexplained. How about that!!!

 

[R1]

Re: Giant Mysterious Spiral Takes Over the Skies of Norway

Since thisis no longer unexplained (it's a failed Russian Sub launch) I will actually merge this with a thread in Missions and Launches and remove it from The Unexplained. How about that!!!

...sounds good.


I think the thread in M&L upstairs has even already determined it's a failed Bulova launch, or
something like that.

My understanding is that Russia still denies launching anything, but I do agree that all threads about
this should be merged.

If it's a failed U.S. ICBM launch from near England would Brittons be concerned, I wonder.

 

[Smersh]

Re: Giant Mysterious Spiral Takes Over the Skies of Norway

Since this is no longer unexplained (it's a failed Russian Sub launch) I will actually merge this with a thread in Missions and Launches and remove it from The Unexplained. How about that!!!

Yikes Wayne !! :shock: This is an amazing decision of yours and almost worth a thread in Unexplained in itself. (Is this the end of life as we know it? MeteorWayne moves a thread from Unexplained to Missions and Launches!!!" )

As you can imagine, this Norway thing is all over the woo-woo sites and I've been following it since this morning. Some are connecting it with Obama's speech in Oslo tomorrow as well. I thought of starting a thread about it here but didn't bother as it seemed pretty obvious to me this was a missile launch. Even if it isn't from the Russian sub, the Andøya Rocket Range is not far away and it's possible it might have come from there.

Here's another picture with a wider field of view:

 

[darkmatter4brains]

Re: Giant Mysterious Spiral Takes Over the Skies of Norway

I've seen several ICBM launches - but never seen anything that even remotely resemebled that :lol:

 

[Smersh]

Re: Giant Mysterious Spiral Takes Over the Skies of Norway

How about this one DM4B? (Thought by some to be a failed missile launch in Russia in 2006. (Please disregard all the "wormhole"/ "Nibiru" etc comments. )

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pV08q4SCaBQ[/youtube]

 

[MeteorWayne]

Re: Giant Mysterious Spiral Takes Over the Skies of Norway

Well, if your launched vehicle makes giant spirals in the sky, that qualifies as a major malfunction That ain't normal.

Those of us who understand launches know from visual evidence when things have gone to hell really fast. If you understand the physics (not a great assumption here in The Unexplained) it's not hard to figure out when a launch has failed; even if you didn't know about it in advance.

I'm just waiting for the OP to post again before moving the thread. If there is no response in 24 hours, I will move it anyway....

 

[Alx09]

Re: Giant Mysterious Spiral Takes Over the Skies of Norway

Feel free to move it Wayne. The only thing I find weird is the perfect circle. I see the logic in that it is fuel that comes out of a spinning thing - but it must've spun really fast to shape those nice circles? I guess it sent out like waves of fuel that pushed other waves of fuel further out, or how would you explain it?

Looked really cool nontheless. Too bad it had an explanation.

Similar thing seem to have happened in China earlier this year: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ixLE3iuszbU, this one seem to not have an official explanation though.`Probably the same thing I guess.

 

[MeteorWayne]

Re: Giant Mysterious Spiral Takes Over the Skies of Norway

I am moving it now.
What I don't understand is why it is too bad it has an explanation.

To me that's a good thing, since almost everything does.

Wayne

 

[MeteorWayne]

Re: Giant Mysterious Spiral Takes Over the Skies of Norway

Yikes Wayne !! :shock: This is an amazing decision of yours and almost worth a thread in Unexplained in itself. (Is this the end of life as we know it? MeteorWayne moves a thread from Unexplained to Missions and Launches!!!" )

I certainly hope you are kidding here Smersh. I do my best to keep my moderation duties seperate from my user posts (which can be a bit feisty at times )

As I said, it is rare when a thread gets moved out of the Unexplained, but when that's the right thing to do, that is what I will do.

I hope you respect that bifurcation in my personal posts and my duties as a slimy, detestable moderator.

Wayne

 

[Smersh]

Re: Giant Mysterious Spiral Takes Over the Skies of Norway

... I certainly hope you are kidding here Smersh ...

 

[phaze]

I'm pretty sure if you follow that streak to the ground, you'll find the Terminator has arrived!

 

[vattas]

Re: Giant Mysterious Spiral Takes Over the Skies of Norway

The only thing I find weird is the perfect circle. I see the logic in that it is fuel that comes out of a spinning thing - but it must've spun really fast to shape those nice circles? I guess it sent out like waves of fuel that pushed other waves of fuel further out, or how would you explain it?

Actually, it's spiral, not circle. Just follow it from the center.
Impressive sight!
What I find strange is that it seems to have spiraled from the first moments of the launch (blue spiral trail). Aren't they supposed to destroy it instead of letting it run wild?

 

[rfoshaug]

Re: Giant Mysterious Spiral Takes Over the Skies of Norway

I'm just waiting for the OP to post again before moving the thread. If there is no response in 24 hours, I will move it anyway....

As the OP of the original M&L thread, the merge is just fine by me.

I wasn't aware of any similar thread in "The Unexplained", as I never thought of it as anything but a launch.

Although the Russians are as tight-lipped as ever, the consensus in Norwegian academic circles (pardon the pun) is that it was indeed a failed SLBM launch.

What I'm wondering, however is if it might have been intentional and successful, effectively using up delta-v for a shot shorter than the maximum range of the rocket?

 

[Zipi]

Now the failure is official?

Vedomosti's article: (Google translated)

http://translate.google.com/translate?j ... l=ru&tl=en

Original in Russian: http://www.vedomosti.ru/politics/news/2009/12/10/904487

Kommersant's article: (Google translated)

http://translate.google.com/translate?j ... l=ru&tl=en

And in Russian: http://www.kommersant.ru/doc.aspx?DocsID=1289845

 

[Zipi]

Explanation of the seen phenomenon:
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zx8i5EfmYU4[/youtube]