With the new X-Files movie starting today, it seems only appropriate that we should talk a little bit about aliens.

Apparently Agents Mulder and Scully aren’t the only ones with extraterrestrial life and a vast government cover-up on their minds. Former Apollo 14 astronaut Dr. Edgar Mitchell made some very bold claims on a radio show recently, stating that aliens do exist and that the “‘little people who look strange to us” have visited Earth on several occasions. Dr. Mitchell also claims that military and government officials have gone to great lengths to keep the aliens under wraps:

“It’s been well covered up by all our governments for the last 60 years or so, but slowly it’s leaked out and some of us have been privileged to have been briefed on some of it…”

Dr. Mitchell, who shares the record for the longest moon walk (9 hours), is said to have conducted private ESP experiments while on his Apollo 14 mission, so this isn’t his first foray into the “unseen.”

The folks at NASA responded to Dr. Mitchell’s claims by saying, “Dr. Mitchell is a great American, but we do not share his opinions on this issue.”

If the former astronaut does turn out to be right, it could make that Virgin Galactic maiden voyage even more exciting.

Visit news.com.au for more details on Dr. Mitchell’s recent radio interview and his thoughts on alien technology.