Pilots Leaving Houston Report Near Miss With Mystery Object

A strange object was spotted Friday night by pilots of a plane that just had just taken off from Bush Intercontinental Airport. And now, federal investigators are trying to pinpoint what the flying object was.

Eyewitnesses say the object, possibly a rocket, came close to hitting the plane. The Continental Express plane, operated by Express Jet, was flying from Houston to South Carolina last night when it happened.

The plane had just left Bush Airport around 8:20pm Friday when the captain reported seeing the object about 150 feet away. According to the FAA, the incident occurred about 11,000 feet into the air above Liberty County.

On Saturday, sheriff’s officials interviewed two Hardin High School students who reported seeing the object come close to the plane.

What’s strange is that the FAA says they have no reports of any scheduled hobby rocket launches in the area.

“All we’ve been told it was bigger than a bottle rocket. It was enough of a light or big enough of an object the pilot had to call it in,” said Corporal Hugh Bishop with the Liberty County sheriff’s office. “But again, we haven’t found anything to substantiate it yet.”

The sheriff’s department is scouring a large area from the Harris County line east to Liberty between Mont Belviu and Moss Hill for any sign of what might have come close to the plane. It’s about a 24 by 12 mile area.

Officers were also on the radio today asking for witnesses. If you have any information about this, you’re being asked to call the Liberty County Sheriff’s Office at 936-336-4500

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North Korea Launches Rocket Despite Protests

North Korea has launched a rocket, despite international appeals not to go ahead.

Officials from Japan, South Korea and the US confirmed lift-off at 0230 GMT. The rocket appeared to have passed over Japan to the Pacific, Tokyo said.

North Korea says it is sending a satellite into orbit, but its neighbours suspect the launch could be a cover for a long-range missile test.

The US called it “provocative”, while Japan said it was “regrettable”.

The South Korean government said it would “deal firmly and resolutely” with Pyongyang.

The rocket blasted off just before midday on Sunday from the Musudan-ri launch pad in the north-east of North Korea.

“The projectile launched from North Korea today appears to have passed over towards the Pacific,” the Japanese prime minister’s office said in a statement.

The US State Department and South Korea’s presidential office also confirmed the launch.

Japan said it did not try to intercept the rocket, as it had indicated that it would if its territory was threatened.

North Korea’s neighbours say the launch violates United Nations resolutions.

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