Missile Launch west metro a half hour ago?

[Aloha_Shooter]

It was a lovely day @ C.R.A.S.H. with lots of attendees. Couple of H motors but nothing flew that was that smoky to that altitude on Saturday.
...

If that is a model rocket sighting that would have required a large smoky motor in the L to M range imo. If it was as big of a rocket as described then there should have been a notam issued. Otherwise it would have been (probably) flown illegally.

Another option if its not a plane contrail - maybe there was a TARC project at a high school, though I believe they only use F size motors & don't require a waiver.

I don't have anything else to offer. Admittedly, the photo looks more like a contrail to me than a rocket/missile.

Agreed although the description of the sound didn't seem like an airplane to me. It could also just have been a sound from a different source that happened to occur at roughly the same time as the contrail formation.

[Sawin]

Based on her firsthand descriptions, pictures, and our past experiences with hobby rockets - not to mention the near-daily familiarity with contrails.... here is my current opinion. It was a hobby rocket that greatly exceeds the size and altitude capabilities of ones we've seen thus far.

I can comment with extremely high confidence that IT WAS NOT CONTRAILS FROM AN AIRPLANE.

She and I fully acknowledge and are highly familiar with the relative perspective of plane contrails, when coming straight at (or away) from us. They can appear very similar to this.
Nevertheless, this was vertical and was created in a matter of 7-8 seconds and then dissipated in 30-45 more. Thusly, the scale and distance are significantly smaller/shorter than that of a commercial airliner.

She did not capture it in pictures, but just below where the white plum begins, there was a brief darker "poof" when the second (or third?) stage ignited, which then took it up into the clouds.

Just as ChickNorris suggests, it is most likely a school project or F size motor, something just below the threshold of waiver-requirement, and my wife was much closer to it than she thought.

[Great-Kazoo]

OK L Ron.

Nope, Joe's Garage

[MrPrena]

Another flat earther ?

[Sawin]

Haha, yeah could be MrPrena
Or maybe it was someone trying to escape this planet.

[Duman]

Someone was beamed up?!?

[brutal]

Nope, Joe's Garage

I know what it's from. I wore out I II and III vinyl

At the fi. at the fir. at the first church of appliantology.

Keep it greasy central scrutinizer.