Area 51: Real or myth?
Area 51 is America’s most secretive military base located in the state of Nevada. It has been under speculation for decades that aliens and their technology are present in the location.
Area 51 is not just closely guarded with a boom gate, chain fencing, and intimidating signs for trespassers but it is protected from everywhere. There are cameras beyond the gate. If anybody tries to hop the fence, they will be caught. There are also claims that there are sensors on the roads near Area 51.
Origin of Area 51
The beginning of Area 51 is related to the development of U-2 reconnaissance aircraft. In the 1950s, low-flying aircraft were sent but there was a risk of low-flying aircraft being shot down on reconnaissance missions by the US Navy and Air Force over the USSR. So President Eisenhower in 1954 approved the development of high-altitude reconnaissance aircraft known as the U-2 program. There was a need for a secret, remote, covert location for the training and testing of such aircraft. Thus, a location in the southern Nevada desert named Area 51 became the airforce’s secret base.
Area 51 is known for intense secrecy
There are conspiracy theories and UFO-related folklore related to Area 51. This Air force base has never been declared as a secret base but the research conducted there is secret.
The United States Air Force facility has an open training range. The training base is for the testing of experimental aircraft. In 1955, the USAF acquired the site for testing the Lockheed U-2 aircraft.
The surrounding areas of this training base are famous for tourists destination. The small town of Rachel on the “Extraterrestrial Highway” is one of them.
UFO sightings near Area 51
The UFO sightings reports came out in the 1950s and 1960s when U-2 flew above 60,000 feet. Before that civilian aircraft flew within 20,000 feet and military aircraft flew up to 40,000 feet. It was a completely new thing as no other flight could fly as higher as U-2.
The rumors of UFO sightings helped to maintain the secret operations at Area 51. There is a claim that Area 51 had an underground railroad system but the veterans denied the existence of any underground operations.
In 1989, Bob Lazar claimed that he had worked at the underground Sector Four at Area 51 and worked with alien spacecraft that the US government kept under their control.
In a documentary made in 1996 titled ‘Dreamland’ directed by Bruce Burgess, 71-year-old claims to be an ex-employee at Area 51 during the 1950s where he worked with an extraterrestrial being and “flying disc simulator.”
Conspiracy theories
The conspiracy theorists believed that the remains of the UFO spacecraft are hidden at Area 51(an Air Force base about 150 miles from Las Vegas). Scientists have reverse-engineered the aliens’ highly advanced technologies. The belief gets strong when a retired army officer confirmed that he had access to extraterrestrial materials gathered from an alien spacecraft that crashed in Rosewell in1947.
The government always stated that they would not disclose details of the military base for national security. This official line served as evidence of aliens hidden or the presence of alien spacecraft at the military base.
Heavy security around the base
The border of the base has surveillance cameras and motion detectors that notify the guards of people approaching the area. There are also warning signs around the area. Any trespassers in the area will have to pay a huge penalty.
The viral Facebook post
The post that went Viral in 2019 “Storm Area 51. They can’t Stop all of Us” was later termed as a joke by the man (who came up with the idea) when he realized that it could turn into a possible humanitarian disaster.
What goes inside Area 51 today?
The air force base is a test and training facility. From the U-2 testing flight, it has currently moved to drones. Some of the world’s espionage programs take place at the site. More than 1500 employees commute daily from Las Vegas every day.
The place is real and widely used. There are no UFOs but one can spot strange lights in the sky in the early mornings. That is a semi-secret contract commuters airline that transports workers from Las Vegas to the base.
The place’s forbidden nature makes people more curious to know what exactly goes inside the aircraft base.