Astronaut who was the sixth man on the Moon claimed aliens had been preventing us from 'going to war'

The idea of what could lie beyond our planet is a huge fascination that has gripped mankind since the dawn of time itself.

For as long as we've been able to look up at the stars humans have been left wondering whether or not we're truly alone in the universe, or if little green men in spaceships are lurking just beyond our field of vision.

Obsession with aliens and extraterrestrials is so widespread that it has permeated every corner of our pop culture, despite concrete evidence being almost non-existent.

While supporters of alien theory are commonly brushed off as conspiracy theorists, credible research into UFOs (now renamed UAPs) exists.

But did you know that a former astronaut event went as far as claiming that aliens are benevolent overlords who seek to maintain world peace?

Former NASA astronaut and US Navy officer Edgar Mitchell had long dedicated his life to exploring the great unknown.

As a pilot on the Apollo 14 mission, he was the sixth man to walk on the Moon in 1971.

Following his trip to space Mitchell landed back on earth with an entirely new outlook on life - after experiencing what is commonly known as the 'overview effect'.

He has also been a long believer in the existence of extraterrestrials, telling Kerrang! Radio in 2008: "There's not much question at all that there is life throughout the universe. I'm totally sure we are not alone."

Mitchell would go on to add that he believed that aliens had also visited Earth but had been covered up by governments.

NASA astronaut Edgar Mitchell. (HUM Images/Universal Images Group via Getty Images / NASA)

Now it may be easy to imagine ideas like these being in the depths of a conspiracy theorist's blog, but from a highly educated astronaut it sounds almost bizarre.

Mitchell's exploration into the extraterrestrial side of space came in 1973, when he abruptly walked out on his job at NASA, divorced his wife and decided to found the Institute for Noetic Sciences - US think-tank which specialises in researching the parapsychological.

It's through his work here that Mitchell would go on to make his boldest statement, arguing that extraterrestrial life was responsible for preventing a nuclear apocalypse.

Mitchell expanded further on this theory during a 2015 interview with The Mirror, explaining that he believed that aliens were curious about our military capabilities.

"My own experience talking to people has made it clear the ETs had been attempting to keep us from going to war and help create peace on Earth," he said, claiming that people who'd manned missile bases during the Cold War had experienced similar.

Just some aliens on their way to stop nuclear war. (Getty Stock Image)

"I have spoken to many Air Force officers who worked at these silos during the Cold War," Mitchell continued.

"They told me UFOs were frequently seen overhead and often disabled their missiles."

While it's highly unlikely that we'll ever have any evidence to back up Mitchell's claims, benevolent alien overlords is certainly one of the more interesting UFO theories.

The astronaut passed away aged 85 in 2016, one day before the 45th anniversary of his Moon landing.