BELIEVE it or not, but NASA has been forced to respond to the wild idea that the space agency is sending children to be sex slaves on Mars.

A guest on Trump-endorsed media outlet InfoWars was the first to break the so-called news about kidnapped kids and the red planet.

Former CIA clandestine services case officer Robert David Steele raised the conspiracy, while being interviewed by infamous host Alex Jones.

“We actually believe that there is a colony on Mars that is populated by children who were kidnapped and sent into space on a 20-year ride,” he told Jones.

“So that once they get to Mars they have no alternative but to be slaves on the Mars colony.”

Jones gave merit to the outlandish claim, saying he believes NASA doesn’t want people looking into the red planet.

“Look, I know that 90 per cent of the NASA missions are secret and I’ve been told by high level NASA engineers that you have no idea. There is so much stuff going on,” Jones said.

If you can look past the red planet’s average temperature being -81 degrees, the atmosphere being mostly carbon dioxide and the fact the two decades of travel would mean the hypothetical children would be adults upon arrival, NASA’s comments should help you see the truth.

Spokesman for Mars exploration at NASA Guy Webster said the claims are obviously ridiculous.

“There are no humans on Mars,” he told Daily Beast. “There are active rovers on Mars. There was a rumour going around last week that there weren’t. There are, but there are no humans.”

Jones has developed a reputation for his elaborate and often-debunked conspiracy theories, which are broadcast on his radio show to millions of listeners across the globe.

According to analytics firm Quantcast, InfoWars had 4.5 million unique page views in the past month and more than five million from mid-April to mid-May. Alex Jones’ YouTube channel also boasts more than two million subscribers.

His most well-known accusations in recent years include his belief the September 11 terror attacks were orchestrated by the US government and the more recent “Pizzagate” - a conspiracy claiming a child sex ring was linked to 2016 Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton.

Are you suprised NASA had to speak on this rumour? Continue the conversation in the comments below or with Matthew Dunn on Facebook and Twitter.