Australia's first female astronaut discusses challenges in finding extraterrestrial life

Katherine Bennell-Pegg, Australia's first female astronaut, spoke at the South by Southwest conference, asserting that extraterrestrial life likely exists due to the vast number of stars in the universe. She noted that communication with any potential aliens poses a significant challenge. Bennell-Pegg highlighted recent discoveries of nearly 6,000 exoplanets, many in habitable zones, suggesting that the odds of life beyond Earth are high. She expressed interest in finding evidence of life within our solar system, particularly on Mars and Jupiter's moons. The Europa Clipper mission aims to explore Jupiter's moon Europa for signs of life. Bennell-Pegg emphasized that studying astrobiology can enhance our understanding of life's resilience on Earth.