Missile Launch west metro a half hour ago?

[ChickNorris]

From your account, I'd have figured a model rocket, although something substantially bigger than an Estes. A model rocket would fit the time profile you mentioned. The CRASH website indicates they had a launch day on Saturday, Feb 20, from Bear Creek Lake Park. The NCR website shows they had a launch day on Feb 6 near Briggsdale.

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.

[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.