Edgar Mitchell was a NASA astronaut and one of the early explorers of space
The wife of a NASA astronaut has spoken out about the strange and fascinating stories her husband used to share about UFO sightings.
Going to space is a rare and monumental experience. Only a handful of people ever get to leave Earth and explore the unknown.
So it’s no surprise that astronauts sometimes witness things that the rest of us can only imagine.
But UFOs? It seems they aren’t just science fiction after all.
According to the wife of one Apollo astronaut, her husband told her about unexplained encounters he had during his missions.
Anita Mitchell, widow of astronaut Edgar Mitchell - who became the sixth person to walk on the moon back in 1971 has shared his incredible experiences.
The Apollo 14 astronauts were at a prelaunch news conference at the Kennedy Space Center, including Edgar Mitchell on the left Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images
Speaking to the Daily Mail, Anita revealed that Edgar had witnessed strange phenomena in space, and that such sightings were not out of the ordinary for astronauts.
She said: "He always felt that there were UFOs out there, because so many of the pilots and astronauts had seen something."
She added that some of Mitchell’s fellow space travelers, including Apollo astronaut James McDivitt, had reported spotting unidentified objects, including unusual spacecraft.
Mitchell recalled: "I remember Gordy [Project Mercury astronaut Leroy Gordon Cooper Jr.] telling us at a dinner party in our house that he had seen something."
"He said, 'Listen, we have nothing that goes that fast and goes that high'."
Gordon Cooper, who took part in NASA’s pioneering Mercury and Gemini programs, was among those who shared similar stories.
With so many accounts gathered from former NASA astronauts, Anita decided to compile the stories into a book titled 'You Don't Look Like An Astronaut's Wife'.
She was married to Mitchell from 1973 until 1984. He passed away in 2016, but his openness about extraterrestrial life continues to spark curiosity.
Throughout his life, Mitchell remained vocal about his belief in alien encounters and even called on the US government to disclose what it knows about UFOs.
In 2009, he publicly urged officials to release classified information, claiming there were hidden truths about extraterrestrial visits.
At the time, he told The Guardian: "We are being visited. It is now time to put away this embargo of truth about the alien presence. I call upon our government to open up ... and become a part of this planetary community that is now trying to take our proper role as a spacefaring civilisation."
Mitchell on the moon in 1971 Photo by Space Frontiers/Archive Photos/Hulton Archive/Getty Images
The former astronaut also warned: "The sun will burn out in due course, and we have to be off this planet if our species is to survive. At this point in human history on this planet, we're now starting, and should be, to reach out beyond our planet and then beyond our solar system to find out what is really going on out there."
According to Anita, she shares her late husband’s belief, adding: "Do you really think we are the only intelligence in the universe? Because if we are, the universe is in trouble."
After leaving NASA, Edgar Mitchell went on to establish the Institute of Noetic Sciences, where he explored topics like extrasensory perception and even telepathic metal bending.
