Area 51 is a military base, and a remote detachment of Edwards Air Force Base. It is located in the southern portion of Nevada in the western United States, 83 miles (133 km) north-northwest of Las Vegas. Situated at its center, on the southern shore of Groom Lake, is a large military airfield. The base's primary purpose is undetermined; however, based on historical evidence, it appears to support development and testing of experimental aircraft and weapons systems.
As a matter of fact, the cloak of secrecy is wrapped so tightly around the area that even military aircraft are forbidden to fly over the site. According to the Air Force, Area 51's purpose is to test technologies and systems used for necessary military operations to keep the country secure. Although satellite pictures of Area 51 show a guard shack, hangar, housing facilities, offices, a mess hall, radar antennas, runways and shelters, the more conspiracy-minded among the citizenry wonders if a much larger underground facility -- of perhaps 40 levels -- is hidden beneath the rather tame-looking exterior. Most of the lands that afforded even a distant vantage point of the grounds were purchased by the government and closed to public access.
Workers there have to sign non-disclosure agreement barring them from speaking to anyone about their work there. Such workers are flown in each day on chartered jet aircraft from Las Vegas.
Area 51 has historically been all about secret aircraft experimentation. The original U-2 spy plane tested there, as was the first stealth jet fighter. It's impossible to know for sure what projects go on there today.
Roswell, N.M. crash of 1947 Area 51 is long-rumored to have been where the Air Force brought the wreckage of a crashed alien spacecraft that ditched in Roswell. It's never been proven, and the government has denied something like that ever took place at Area 51. If the truth is out there, it's done a good job of hiding itself so far.
In December 2007, airline pilots noticed that the base had appeared in their aircraft navigation systems' latest Jeppesen database revision with the ICAO airport identifier code of KXTA and listed as "Homey Airport". The probably inadvertent release of the airport data led to advice by the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA) that student pilots should be explicitly warned about KXTA, not to consider it as a waypoint or destination for any flight even though it now appears in public navigation databases.
As a matter of fact, the cloak of secrecy is wrapped so tightly around the area that even military aircraft are forbidden to fly over the site. According to the Air Force, Area 51's purpose is to test technologies and systems used for necessary military operations to keep the country secure. Although satellite pictures of Area 51 show a guard shack, hangar, housing facilities, offices, a mess hall, radar antennas, runways and shelters, the more conspiracy-minded among the citizenry wonders if a much larger underground facility -- of perhaps 40 levels -- is hidden beneath the rather tame-looking exterior. Most of the lands that afforded even a distant vantage point of the grounds were purchased by the government and closed to public access.
Workers there have to sign non-disclosure agreement barring them from speaking to anyone about their work there. Such workers are flown in each day on chartered jet aircraft from Las Vegas.
Area 51 has historically been all about secret aircraft experimentation. The original U-2 spy plane tested there, as was the first stealth jet fighter. It's impossible to know for sure what projects go on there today.
Roswell, N.M. crash of 1947 Area 51 is long-rumored to have been where the Air Force brought the wreckage of a crashed alien spacecraft that ditched in Roswell. It's never been proven, and the government has denied something like that ever took place at Area 51. If the truth is out there, it's done a good job of hiding itself so far.
In December 2007, airline pilots noticed that the base had appeared in their aircraft navigation systems' latest Jeppesen database revision with the ICAO airport identifier code of KXTA and listed as "Homey Airport". The probably inadvertent release of the airport data led to advice by the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA) that student pilots should be explicitly warned about KXTA, not to consider it as a waypoint or destination for any flight even though it now appears in public navigation databases.
Controversy and Conspiracy Theories
Staff members at Area 51 have had to be evacuated during nuclear testing, which has caused interruptions in spy plane projects.
In the 1980s, large amounts of soil were moved out of the area, and people living in nearby cities experienced increased cancer rates.
In 1995, President Clinton signed an Executive Order that exempted Area 51 from publicizing Environmental Protection Agency findings, raising concerns that the facility would not be held accountable for what goes on there. Area 51 to become a focus of modern UFO and conspiracy theories. Some of the activities mentioned in such theories at Area 51 include:
The Air Force has denied any connection between aliens and Area 51. Despite Air Force denial, however, conspiracy theorists still maintain that Area 51 is connected to aliens. In 1987, Robert Lazar claimed that the government was holding nine alien spacecraft near Area 51, and that he was helping them adapt technology from the aircraft to help power military equipment. According to Lazar, he discovered a special substance called "Element 115" that powered the alien ships. Most believe Lazar's claims to be false, but since he appeared on television making these statements in the late '80s, he inspired new public interest in the idea of aliens at Area 51.
In the 1980s, large amounts of soil were moved out of the area, and people living in nearby cities experienced increased cancer rates.
In 1995, President Clinton signed an Executive Order that exempted Area 51 from publicizing Environmental Protection Agency findings, raising concerns that the facility would not be held accountable for what goes on there. Area 51 to become a focus of modern UFO and conspiracy theories. Some of the activities mentioned in such theories at Area 51 include:
- The storage, examination, and reverse engineering of crashed alien spacecraft (including material supposedly recovered at Roswell), the study of their occupants (living and dead), and the manufacture of aircraft based on alien technology.
- Meetings or joint undertakings with extraterrestrials.
- The development of exotic energy weapons for the Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI) or other weapons programs.
- The development of means of weather control.
- The development of time travel and teleportation technology.
- The development of unusual and exotic propulsion systems related to the Aurora Program.
- Activities related to a supposed shadowy one world government or the Majestic 12 organization.
The Air Force has denied any connection between aliens and Area 51. Despite Air Force denial, however, conspiracy theorists still maintain that Area 51 is connected to aliens. In 1987, Robert Lazar claimed that the government was holding nine alien spacecraft near Area 51, and that he was helping them adapt technology from the aircraft to help power military equipment. According to Lazar, he discovered a special substance called "Element 115" that powered the alien ships. Most believe Lazar's claims to be false, but since he appeared on television making these statements in the late '80s, he inspired new public interest in the idea of aliens at Area 51.
Programs And Aircrafts
Some of the Programs conducted at Area 51:
- U-2 Program
- X-15 Program
- OXCART Program
- D-21 Tagboard
- Foreign technology evaluation
- Have Blue/F-117 Program
- The U-2 spy plane, developed by Lockheed and the CIA. It could fly at an altitude of 70,000 feet (2.13 kilometers).
- The Suntan was supposed to be a successor to the U-2. It could hit speeds of Mach 2.5 - almost 2,000 mph (3,218 kph) - but its fuel was too expensive.
- The A-12 (later called the SR-71 Blackbird), which could fly at speeds of Mach 3, or nearly 2,300 mph (3,701 kph).
- Stealth aircraft (Tacit Blue and Have Blue) and stealth fighters.
- Unmanned aerial vehicles to provide the military with information without risking the lives of pilots or soldiers.
References: Wikipedia; curiosity.discovery.com
Photos Courtesy: Google Images
Photos Courtesy: Google Images