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Under Soviet Satellites, How Area 51 Hid (And Invented) Secret Craft
An anonymous reader writes "No word yet on alien starships, but now that many Cold War-era Area 51 documents have been declassified, veterans of the secret US base are revealing some of the clever — and surprisingly low-tech — ways they hid futuristic prototypes from prying eyes."
Roofs?
Why was it called Area 51?
Because calling it "CIA Secret Aircraft Research Area" might have given the wrong idea to the Soviets?
John
It wasn't called area 51, I forgot what the base is called but the reason why people called it area 51 is because of a quad number that it was seen from (area 51). I didn't read TFA but from a lot of testimonies from former employees it seems that it was a secret base intended to develop high-tech stuff against the reds. Whether or not there's alien technology may or may not be true, but I don't think it would be in area 51 if it were held somewhere. It was mostly an airbase that grew bigger over time, and nothing too fancy as far as a major underground complex like one would hope to find (at least what's been disclosed and accounted for). Some claim there are 2 or 3 other types of Area 51 and even an underground base in the grand canyon simply because over 100 miles of it hasn't ever been recorded and it would be the most ideal place to have a hiding spot.
Beyond that, it's all speculation. I do enjoy hearing about alien theories but there's not enough solid evidence to prove their existence, at least in cooperation or against the government. If you want to know why Area 51 came to be something more than just an airbase, look up Bob Lazar or however you spell his name. He had an interview like 20 years ago where he explained everything that he's seen and heard about the place. There's no telling whether or not he was telling the truth but that's pretty much how it really got press (outside of the Roswell incident).
Don't worry, I don't wear a tinfoil hat and think that the government is up to no good, and causing trouble in the neighborhood. If anything, I trust they know how to handle national security more than they know how to handle money. But if this whole economy gets worse, I'll go live with my auntie and uncle in bel air.
I didn't get a zip file but I did get a malware alert from Safari. Possibly NG or an ad provider hacked?
"There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
Its part of the Nevada Test Range, the NTS area next to it is 15, the block commonly called Area 51 is more properly known as Groom Lake (for the dry lakebed there) and on some maps, CIA documents and in corporate literature that block is Area 51.
The Presidential Determination that keeps Federal Courts from touching operations there refers to it as "The Air Force's Operating Location Near Groom Lake, Nevada:.
I got it on the third attempt. Digging further, I was redirected to 178.162.157.0. Actual site is 184.84.222.83 as I pinged it. First is in germany, second is Akamai and gives the real site.
If you think about it, it makes perfect sense that you would get a black hole from reading too much about Area51.
Those alien defense systems are pretty good.
"There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
Poisoned rotating ads, Lester, chill. Not everyone will get hit. Turn on the NoScript and AdBlock and you're all set.
Perhaps hiring Sony's IT dept wasn't such a good idea after all...
I've got better things to do tonight than die.
Nobody besides the government denies the existence of Area 51. The base exists, and is well proven for decades.
What is denied is that there are aliens there, or really much of anything. Hell, the government even admitted its existence to the russians a couple of decades ago, and by treaty they were allowed to do flyovers of it. During a period of the 1980's to 1990's, it was all but abandoned. There was a lawsuit in the 1990's by workers who worked there about exposure to toxic fumes and chemicals.
So no, the base does exist and has publicly existed to far more than just "conspiracy nuts" for decades. It was just very secretive and few knew what went on there.
If you need web hosting, you could do worse than here
Noscript, and Adblock Plus, and I saw nothing but a National Geographic story. Pretty boring stuff. If you've ever known anyone in military intelligence, they'll tell you the same kind of story. Fake vehicles (like cardboard cutouts), scrambling to move anything "interesting" inside, or cover it with a tarp. The idea was to make every base look like it was deserted, even if there was a full complement there.
Area 51 still does a fine job of it. I check Google Maps there once in a while to see what's changed. Some of the underground bunkers, that had taxiways from the runways, which had an obvious opening, now look like they're just the side of a mountain. So you have an empty taxiway to nowhere? Yup, I'm falling for that.
I still have yet to see interesting aircraft, but of course they are the gov't, and can tell Google to remove any unpopular images before they're published. Most likely, they still do their privacy covers. What's the difference between a dirty colored tarp, and the side of a mountain? Absolutely nothing without very high resolution and/or infrared imaging.
For reference, this is one of those spots.
If you browse around, they only have 4 aircraft. Two airliners, two helicopters, and one fighter jet. Hmmm, that doesn't seem quite right, now does it? :)
This is my favorite feature of the area.
Oops, I rambled again, didn't I? Oh well.
Serious? Seriousness is well above my pay grade.
IT'S A TARP!
Mit der Dummheit kämpfen Götter selbst vergebens
What's up with the deserts?
Are alien UFO:s prone to rust or something?
People who believe in UFOs are only loons because they are a small minority. Lots of people believe in God, despite there being no compelling evidence in the same way that there isn't for extra-terrestrials, but because that is a commonly held delusion it is considered normal. Sanity is defined as the norm, not what is rational.
const int one = 65536; (Silvermoon, Texture.cs)
SJW, n: "Someone I don't like, and by the way I'm a fuckwit" - AC
What's up with the deserts?
Are alien UFO:s prone to rust or something?
It's hard to hide secret airbases in downtown Manhattan.
More seriously, deserts are great for hiding things precisely because there's very few people around otherwise. Mountains would work too, but they're not so great for airbases due to the terrain, and it's also easy for spies to get somewhere where they can overlook the base. Farmland tends to have too many people about. A nice big forest would be quite good though, but only if its empty enough; large chunks of northern Canada are fairly well suited except that they're under major flight routes and they're not in the US. (Mind you, if Canada had a secret alien research program, that's where it would be. The north is big and very empty away from the mines.)
"Little does he know, but there is no 'I' in 'Idiot'!"
Another interesting thing about Groom Lake is its status as restricted airspace. If you find R-4808N on the FAA's Las Vegas sectional map (e.g., at http://skyvector.com/ ), you'll see that it covers two things: a large area over the old Nevada Testing Site, where the Department of Energy used to test nuclear weapons, and a big conspicuously square area with a large dry lake bed called Groom Lake smack dab in the center. The fairly large airport that's been built next to and extending onto the lake bed is also not labeled on those maps, despite the fact that various other land features and manmade structures just a few miles away (including in the Nevada Testing Site) are labeled to serve as landmarks to pilots.
Restricted airspace listings (the text versions, to be used in conjunction with various airspace maps, e.g., http://www.faa.gov/documentLibrary/media/Order/SUA.pdf ) tell you a few things that provide a mechanism for legally accessing them. For instance, they tell you what hours they are restricted (such as a fixed pattern of hours each week, or by specifically issued FAA notice, etc.), what elevations are restricted, the using agency (the agency for the benefit of which the airspace is restricted), and the controlling agency (whom you would contact to try to get clearance to enter the airspace) in the case of "joint use" airspace.
If you look up R-4808N in the restricted airspace listings, it tells you (a) that the restricted airspace is in continuous operation, i.e., it's restricted 24 hours a day every day; (b) it's restricted at all elevations from the ground up; (c) there is no "controlling agency" listed, meaning the airspace is not joint use; and (d) the using agency is the Department of Energy, meaning that the block of restricted airspace is lumped in with the Nevada Test Site even though the Air Force actually runs the Groom Lake facility. All of these characteristics are fairly unusual as restricted airspace goes, and I've only found one other bit of restricted airspace in the listings that doesn't list a controlling facility (a tiny bit of airspace at the Tooele Army Depot in Utah).
Nellis AFB near Las Vegas manages almost all of the restricted and military operation airspace in that area, and they're the ones who will angrily contact you via radio if you even approach the restricted airspace in that area. The restricted airspace is more of a legal mechanism to deal with pilots who encroach on the airspace after they land, and Nellis AFB will send fighters out to strongly dissuade anyone who comes too close to the airspace even if they don't enter it.
One other thing to note is that the runways at Groom Lake are actually quite busy. There is a restricted access terminal at McCarran (Las Vegas) Airport where some thousand or so people board planes that make trips to and from Groom Lake throughout the day. The flights use the name "Janet" when talking to the tower at McCarran (similar to how a United Airlines flight would be referred to as, e.g., "United 123").
It's hard to hide secret airbases in downtown Manhattan.
Not according to that documentary I saw several years ago. You know, the one with Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones.
Any insufficiently advanced magic is indistinguishable from technology.
Nobody besides the government denies the existence of Area 51.
That's a myth. It used to be true but hasn't been for a very long time now. Their comments these days are typically, "no comment." The simple fact is, the government has officially acknowledged and admitted area 51 exists. The fact is even part of official court records.
Far too many confuse redaction policy with official status. Officially, area 51 exists. Policy, on the other hand, requires all references be redacted.
I know Nevada is a sin-friendly state, with it's gambling and prostitution, but what kind of depraved lunatic would violate a sign?!! I mean really, couldn't someone who is, uh, sign oriented easily find a consensual relationship?
the preceding comment is my own and in no way reflects the opinion of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
Yup. :) The did a lot of nuke testing in that area. That's probably one of the biggest reasons the area is off limits. There's another test area, Area 25 if I recall correctly, where they did an atmospheric nuke test, and that test area is still hot.
The largest civil purpose nuke was tested in that test range. Google for the "Sedan Crater". They were testing to see if a nuke could move a mountain. It worked very well, except for the pesky radiation problem. It's safe enough to go out and visit for a few minutes, and they do take tour groups, but they're limited, and can't stay very long.
From what I heard, there is an Executive Order from the POTUS stating that they are exempt from EPA testing and inspection. It makes perfect sense though. If they're testing new or exotic fuels, and they had to dump it, testing of the residue could show what was being tested.
Serious? Seriousness is well above my pay grade.