2026.05.13 | Extraterrestrial Life — Could We Cope?

On The Space Show for Wednesday, 13 May 2026:

Space Show News: The Australian Federal Budget — An analysis of the space and astronomy sections of the 2026 Federal Budget. 

Extraterrestrial Life - Could We Cope? 

The US government has released a first batch of 160 previously classified files on alleged UFO sightings and alien life. The files include a 1947 report of "flying discs" and a photo of "unidentified phenomena" taken from the Moon's surface during the Apollo 12 lunar mission in 1969.

In light of these releases, we’ll first hear comments from President Trump, then a fascinating retrospective discussion, largely philosophical in nature, between the New Zealand astronomer and television presenter Peter Read and Professor Alan Forbes of Wellington's Victoria University on how humanity might cope with the discovery of extraterrestrial life. (Inserts Fox News, WH and NZBC)

The Andy Thomas Space Foundation: 

Nicola Sasanelli (Adjunct Professor and then Chief Executive Officer, Andy Thomas Space Foundation, Adelaide) on the formation and purposes of the Foundation. (Recorded by The Space Show at a meeting of the Space Association of Australia, South Melbourne)

SMILE

A preview of the China-ESA satellite SMILE (or Solar-wind Magnetosphere Ionosphere Link Explorer), which is due to be launched on 19 May 2026.

SMILE is a collaborative satellite mission between the European Space Agency (ESA) and the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) designed to study how the solar wind interacts with Earth's magnetic shield.