In the aftermath of the Maui fires, claims began circulating that energy weapons or "lasers from space" may have played a role. In this episode, we don't accept or dismiss the claim—we examine how to evaluate it:
• What's being claimed—and what would have to be true • The difference between observation, inference, and conclusion • How visual evidence can be misinterpreted • What alternative explanations exist—and how to compare them • How to think clearly when claims are emotionally charged and widely shared
This isn't about taking sides. It's about understanding how to evaluate extraordinary claims before accepting or rejecting them. Because the quality of the answer depends on the quality of the question.
SHOW NOTES:
Source code to access satellite data using MatLab Identifying Directed Energy Weapons in Space: A Real-Time Monitoring Guide Tools You Need for Monitoring and Sample Code for Setting Up Satellite Monitoring: https://www.misterrobots.com/post/ccp-directed-energy-satellite-source-code-using-mathworks-matlab
Steve Favis: http://SteveFavis.com
Directed Energy Weapons Laser Capabilities https://www.misterrobots.com/lasers
Other References:
Space-Track.org promotes space flight safety, protection of the space environment and the peaceful use of space worldwide by sharing space situational awareness services and information with U.S. and international satellite owners/operators, academia and other entities. https://www.space-track.org/documentation#lch
https://www.npr.org/2023/09/28/1202110410/how-rumors-and-conspiracy-theories-got-in-the-way-of-mauis-fire-recovery
https://www.space.com/space-force-1st-targeting-squadron
https://www.viristar.com/post/hawaii-wildfires-illustrate-climate-related-risks-to-adventure-and-outdoor-programs
"New images use AI to provide more detail on Maui fires." https://msutoday.msu.edu/news/2023/ai-images-provide-maui-fire-details
Wildfire Monitoring, NASA Fire Information for Resource Management System (FIRMS): https://nasaacres.github.io/maui-wildfires
First fire location: https://firms.modaps.eosdis.nasa.gov/map/#t:tsd;d:2023-08-02..2023-08-08;@-156.50,20.80,10.00z
More ways of Accessing Satellite Data:
Satellites launched by space agencies are freely available (and can be explored below), but are at a lower resolution. Most satellite datasets collected by NASA and European Space Agency satellites are available publicly on the same day the satellite observations are taken. The high-resolution satellites from private companies like Planet, Maxar, and others are typically not freely available. However, many companies have disaster response programs that give free access to high-resolution imagery following disasters.
Planet Disaster Data Program Planet makes their high-resolution imagery available to the public following select disaster events, including the Maui wildfires.
Maxar Open Data Program Maxar has made high-resolution post-disaster images from August 9, 2023 openly available for download.
Sentinel-2 SentinelHub Playground The SentinelHub Playground makes data from the Sentinel-2 satellites available to explore in your web browser. The date of the imagery can be controlled in the calendar icon on the webpage header (highlighted by a red box in the image above). Sentinel-2 images are captured at least every 5 days, at approximately 10:00am local time. The last Sentinel-2 images over Maui were taken on August 8, so the next image should be available on August 13.
NASA Active Fire Data This website provides the raw geospatial data of active fire detections from the NASA MODIS, VIIRS, and Landsat satellites to generate the map on the NASA Fire Information for Resource Management System linked above. You can access the data by downloading the files or using their API.
#criticalthinking #evidence #mauifires #SolveTheRightProblem
