Technologies

Harvard astronomer begins new search for alien spaceships in our skies

The famous (or infamous, depending who you ask) scientist and E.T. believer, Avi Loeb, is out to capture some UAP sightings of his own.

Harvard’s most controversial astronomer is leading a new initiative, dubbed the Galileo Project, to check Earth’s skies and the rest of the solar system for signs of extraterrestrial intelligence.

Avi Loeb, the longtime astronomy professor who became well-known for his belief that interstellar object Oumuamua was likely an alien probe, announced the details of his plan via a virtual press conference Monday.

Officially, the initiative is described as «a transparent scientific project to advance a systematic experimental search for cross-validated evidence of potential astro-archaeological artifacts or active technical equipment made by putative existing or extinct extraterrestrial technological civilizations (ETCs).»

Translation: The plan is to use a variety of telescopes to look for alien spaceships, probes or other debris left behind by intelligent beings who weren’t born on Earth.

«What we see in our sky is not something that politicians or militarypersonnel should interpret because they were not trained as scientists,» Loeb told reporters. «It’s for the science community to figure out… based on non-governmental data that we will assemble as scientists.»

The first phase of the project involves setting up a network of dozens of relatively small telescopes around the globe that will attempt to capture new images of unidentified aerial phenomena (UAP, the newly favored and more inclusive acronym designed to replace «UFOs»).

A highly anticipated report released by the US Director of National Intelligence in June confirmed the existence of a number of UAP, which the military and intelligence community can offer no certain explanations for.

«The goal of the Galileo Project is to bring the search for extraterrestrial technological signatures from accidental or anecdotal observations and legends to the mainstream of transparent, validated and systematic scientific research,» reads a statement.

New eyes on the sky

To do this, the plan is to focus solely on gathering new data and observations instead of analyzing past UAP sightings like those included in the recent DNI report. The new data will then be analyzed by algorithms and artificial intelligence to attempt to separate true UAP from birds, balloons, drones, satellites and other known explanations.

Project co-founder Frank Laukien, a visiting chemical biology scholar at Harvard and CEO of scientific instrument maker Bruker, noted the Galileo Project won’t be considering any alternative physics-based explanations for new UAP observations.

«We will stick, scientifically, to known physics but will make the data available,»Laukien said.

Loeb has become a polarizing figure in the astronomy community, especially since the release of his book outlining his Oumuamua hypothesis earlier this year, with a number of scientists accusing him of jumping to radical conclusions without appropriate evidence.

«Most scientists don’t discount the possible existence of these types of civilizations (the universe is vast!),» Justin Cowart, a Ph.D. candidate studying Martian geology, tweeted Monday.»But most don’t jump on extraordinary claims without extraordinary evidence, which Loeb likes to do.»

Loeb rejects the premise «extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence» but still hopes to collect some with his new project. Indeed, the nod to Galileo in the project name is a bit of a clap back at his critics by drawing a comparison to the famed 16th century astronomer who was imprisoned for his then-heretical suggestion the Earth revolved around the sun and not vice versa.

Looking further out, too

In addition to trying to spot UAP in the sky, the project also plans to use next-generation telescopes like the upcoming Vera C. Rubin Observatory to look for more objects in thesolar system like Oumuamua, as well as potential alien probes currentlyorbiting Earth to check us out in a low-key way. A description of the project even leaves open the possibility of designing its own purpose-built space observatory:

«We will conceptualize and design, potentially in collaboration with interested space agencies or space ventures, a launch-ready space mission to image unusual interstellar objects such as Oumuamua by intercepting their trajectories on their approach to the sun or by using ground-based survey telescopes to discover interstellar meteors.»

All this is naturally a potentially expensive proposition. Loeb told reporters he has received donations to his research fund at Harvard totaling over $1.75 million in the last two weeks with «no strings attached.»

He says the hope is to increase that funding level by at least ten-fold «to accomplish more rigorous study.»

As for when we could see new UAP images courtesy of the Galileo Project, Loeb said the team is currently selecting its telescopes and hopes to present «interesting results in the coming year.»

«It starts now,» he said.

Follow CNET’s 2021 Space Calendar to stay up to date with all the latest space news this year. You can even add it to your own Google Calendar.

Technologies

I Tried an Air Purifier Designed to Filter Out Weed and Cigarette Smoke

Just because you celebrate 420 doesn’t mean you want the smell of smoke. A new specialty filter from GermGuardian helps keep things fresh.

In the US and globally, April 20 has become an unofficial holiday for weed smokers. While vaping, gummies and edibles are increasingly popular, a fair number of people still light up for a smoke, and that can result in a lingering odor many find unpleasant.

I’m one of those people, and GermGuardian’s new FLT420B air purifier filter is designed to remove cannabis smoke more effectively than standard air purifier filters.
«As cannabis use becomes more widely accepted, we recognized a real gap in the market for a filter purpose-built to tackle cannabis smoke odors, not just mask them,» said Rukky Ojakovo, senior director of heaters and air quality at Guardian Technologies. «In our two-week in-home test, over 90% of users rated it very effective at reducing cannabis odor.»

I’ve been using the FLT420B filter in my home with a GermGuardian AC4880B air purifier for several weeks now, and I’ve been impressed with just how effectively it tackles smoke odors. In my case, the odor is more from cigarette smoke than marijuana (I had the misfortune of indoor smokers moving into the unit below me). The FLT420B filter has been effective at tackling the smell.

«While the FLT420B was engineered specifically for cannabis smoke, its advanced odor-control media targets VOCs [volatile organic compounds] broadly, making it effective against other herbal smoke as well,» Ojakovo told me over email.

According to GermGuardian, the filter is 300 times more effective than standard HEPA smoke filters and targets odor-causing VOCs at the «molecular» level. The company says it can remove cannabis odor within 90 minutes. Though I’m not a marijuana smoker myself — I’m very sensitive to bad odors, and I have two asthmatic cats — I’m planning on testing this soon by using cannabis-scented incense sticks.

In the meantime, to test this, I placed the entire AC4880B air purifier unit, with the smoke filter installed, in a closet in my wife’s office and shut the door. Using the UV-C sanitizing light, which can generate a small amount of safe ozone, the entire closet was effectively deodorized in about 24 hours.

I asked Ojakovo what played the largest role in clearing the odor from the closet. The filter was the primary driver.

«The FLT420B’s advanced odor-control media is specifically designed to capture VOCs and lingering odors like cigarette smoke,» Ojakovo said. «The UV-C light is great for reducing airborne bacteria, germs, and mold spores, but is less targeted toward chemical-based smoke odors specifically.»

Interestingly, even after I pulled it out of the closet, the air inside has stayed deodorized, though sealing gaps and cracks likely helped.

To further test how well the filter cleared smells, I moved the GermGuardian unit to my galley kitchen and placed it by my trash cans. There’s not much ventilation in there, and I have a gas range, so there are plenty of VOCs. I’ve left it there for over a week now, and since then, I’ve noticed a distinct reduction in stale cooking smells and a general improvement in air quality, verified by an air quality monitor.

«Since the FLT420B is designed to tackle VOCs, it can certainly help with cooking-related odors and gases,» said Ojakovo, while also pointing out that the company sells filters designed for kitchen use specifically. «For heavier kitchen use near a gas range, we’d recommend exploring our broader lineup of filters, designed for specific use cases.»

Now, if you suffer from allergies, you may want to consider a different air purifier model, but for VOCs, it’s been one of the more effective ones I’ve used.

Price and availability

The FLT420B will work with GermGuardian’s most widely used air purifiers, including the AC4880, AC4825E, AC4300, AC4825, AC4870, AC4820, AC4900, AC4850PT, CDAP4500 and AP2200CA. If you own one of those models, it’s simply a matter of purchasing the FLT420B filter from Amazon (currently out of stock) or directly from Guardian Technologies for $40.

If you’re a new customer, you can buy the model with the features you prefer and pair it with a filter that suits your use case.

Editor’s note: While cannabis has been legalized for medical and even recreational use in some states, marijuana and products containing THC are still a Schedule I drug under US federal law. Always exercise caution and judgment when consuming cannabis or any other controlled substance.

Technologies

‘Han Solo Wants to Be Me’: Artemis II’s Victor Glover on Flying the Orion

CNET spoke with the Artemis II astronaut and pilot about seeing parts of the moon that no other human has seen before and getting to manually fly a spacecraft.

Even if you’re 250,000 miles from Earth, sleep is important. However, for all the life-sustaining accoutrements aboard the Orion spacecraft, the capsule lacked bedrooms, leaving the four-person Artemis II crew with a truly bizarre sleeping arrangement.

«I slept really close to an air conditioning vent. And so I’d wake up and I just see this big hunk of metal,» Glover told CNET during a video call. «And it was like, ‘Oh, I’m in space. I am weightless.'»

Sleep wasn’t just a means for the astronauts to recharge; it also grounded them during their historic journey. Glover explained, «What really resonated with me is we’re also humans. It’s like camping, and this is a very important part of this journey.»

Artemis II was the first crewed mission to the moon in over 50 years. It followed Artemis I, a 2022 uncrewed mission that was the first for NASA’s new Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft. The goal for Artemis II was to have a crew test the spacecraft, life support systems, the SLS rocket and the procedures needed for future lunar missions that will involve landing on the moon and eventually building a base there.

Glover, the Orion’s pilot, along with commander Reid Wiseman and mission specialists Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen, made up the Artemis II crew. The mission made a lot of history. It’s the first time a woman, a Black man or a Canadian has journeyed to the moon. The four Artemis II astronauts traveled 252,756 miles from Earth, farther than any other human being, surpassing the record set by the 1970 Apollo 13 mission.

This wasn’t Glover’s first time in space. In 2020, with a Falcon 9 rocket for liftoff, he piloted the Crew Dragon capsule to and from the International Space Station for NASA’s SpaceX Crew-1 mission, spending over 167 days in space. But Artemis II gave Glover the opportunity to be the first to fly the Orion, a new vehicle designed for Artemis missions. For the majority of the nearly 10-day journey, Orion was on autopilot. But Glover had several opportunities to take manual control of the spacecraft to test its handling.

«It was such a treat and a joy,» Glover said about flying the Orion. «It was a test pilot’s dream to fly a new spaceship for the first time by hand.»

Even after spending time training to fly in a simulator back on Earth, he was surprised by how responsive the Orion’s hand controller was and by the clarity of the cameras, used to maneuver the craft around the Interim Cryogenic Propulsion Stage that holds the fuel for the upper stage of liftoff. He said the view from the cameras and monitors was like «looking out a window.»

When I asked Glover if he felt like Han Solo when piloting the Orion, he retorted, «Han Solo wants to be me when he grows up!» Throughout my interview, Glover was gracious, passionate and funny.

«I get to do stuff that’s cooler than Han Solo. I mean, just the fact that it’s real, it’s better.»

While landing on the moon wasn’t in the cards for this trip, the Orion crew traveled about 4,000 miles beyond the moon, allowing them to see parts of the moon that had never been seen before. For comparison, Apollo missions flew about 70 miles above the moon to make landings, limiting how much of it they could actually see.

The images that Glover and the crew took of the moon were stunning. Shots like the Earthset were a reminder of how beautiful our planet is and our place within the solar system. The astronauts even witnessed a total solar eclipse as they rounded the far side of the moon. But none of the photos they took compares to what they saw, according to Glover.

«I could see the curvature of the moon. Depth is just one aspect that you cannot see in the pictures. But here’s the other thing, the pictures lack scale.»

For the lunar flyby, the Orion was moving fast: 60,863 mph relative to Earth, but only 3,139 mph relative to the moon, according to NASA. The speed meant the shadows across the surface were constantly morphing into different shapes. Glover was particularly enamored with the moon’s terminator, where the light and dark sides of the moon meet. The terminator isn’t fixed and depends on the moon’s position relative to the sun. As Orion moved, it transformed into various shapes that looked like letters of the alphabet.

«People know, I fell in love with the terminator when I got to see the real one up close. I watched the terminator go from a letter C to a letter D, which means there was a point when the moon was half light, half dark. It was pointing right at me.»

Artemis II’s lunar flyby was a highlight of the journey for many of us on Earth, in part because we could watch it in real time on streaming services like Netflix. Nearly the entire mission was streamed live on NASA’s website and YouTube channel, making it feel like a reality show. One minute you’re watching the crew eat, work out, take photos of the moon; the next, there’s a random jar of Nutella floating by one of the cameras. I asked Glover whether it felt like he was on a TV show while on the Orion.

«It did not feel like a reality show on my end,» said Glover. «For you to see the science and hear us describing the moon, and to see us flying the spaceship by hand, and to see bedtime and bath time and teeth brush time, that’s what it’s like. The mission was all of those things.»

Glover was ecstatic to hear how I and others felt so connected to the crew during their mission. He said it was important to NASA to let the world in on everything it took to send four people a quarter of a million miles away.

«I think that maybe one of the really, most special things about this mission is how much you were able to see,» Glover said with a smile. «It makes me feel good that you felt like you were there.»