Area 51: The Mystery Behind America’s Secret Base
Area 51 is among the world’s best-known secret military facilities. In southern Nevada, near Groom Lake, in the U.S. it gained its fame through its Extreme Secrecy, mysterious craft, UFO stories, and decades-old speculations regarding extraterrestrial life. The site was actually created, according to classified documents which were later released to the public, mainly for the hidden testing and developing of advanced aircraft and spy planes.
History of Area 51
The history of Area 51 started back in 1955 during the Cold War; the US were developing the U-2 spy-plane. This aircraft was created with the aim to fly at very high altitudes and take photos of the military objects and activities in enemy countries, like the USSR, for example.
CIA officers, along with the engineer of Lockheed, Clarence “Kelly” Johnson, required a remote and isolated location to carry out testings of the experimental aircraft, safe from indiscreet eyes. Following a fly over the Nevada region, they located a dry lake at Groom Lake. Its seclusion, flat lands, and the restricted proximity offered an appropriate site to conduct experiments related to the testing of secret planes, as desired by president Dwight D. Eisenhower, which he then added to the Nevada Test Site.
The location was officially named, by then, on the maps, Area 51 and was also known as Groom Lake, Watertown, Paradise Ranch, and finally as Dreamland.
The U-2 Spy Plane
Lockheed U-2 was the first experimental plane which turned Area 51 famous;
The U-2 Spy plane, built for the US, flew at unusually high altitudes so it could clearly photograph, any area that was not easily visible by conventional flying machines and its development was highly confidential.
The funny thing is that first unofficial flight of a U-2 took place accidentally on the first of August 1955; Lockheed test pilot Tony Le Vier was taxiing on the Groom Lake ground, at a high speed, when the plane flew into the air unexpectedly, by some wonder pilot Le Vier was able to land the U-2 successfully few miles later. Few days later, the first official test flight took place.
Today, the U-2 spy plane has a significant place in history due to its service with the American intelligence agencies during the Cold war while due to its uncommon appearance and incredible altitude in which it flew, several people often identified it and mistook it for alien aircraft.
Development of the A-12 OXCART
The U-2 wasn’t the only sophisticated airplane designed at Area 51, as it was later the site of testing of CIA’s A-12 OXCART (an advanced aircraft which was far more advanced compared to the spy plane)
The aircraft called A-12 OXCART was designed and built in order to fly at very high altitude and incredible speed. The OXCART could achieve approx. Mach 3.2-3.3 and work up to 90 000 feet, these incredible abilities required a big step forward in aircraft manufacturing technology which included sophisticated new engines, fuel, construction material, navigation, and others more.
First flight of an A-12 OXCART took place in Area 51 in 1962.
Why People Assumed Area 51 Was About aliens
Secrecy at Area 51 and the lack of public knowledge, paved the way for many rumors;
In the 50s and 60s people would often reportseeing bizarre objectflying in US sky; the reasons could only have been two, flying saucers or secret american craft. The CIA report actually proved, however, that more than half of all the sighting of Flying saucers from the 1950s until the 1960s actually referred to secret and advanced American military plane that due to their experimental nature flew at incredible altitude in comparison with other conventional aircraft that would fly over american cities.
Not knowing the secret, people’s interpretation turned toward aliens flying saucers.
Area 51 and UFO Stories
The biggest myths about Area 51 is that all U.S aircraft salvaged or crashed, especially alien ones, have been stored there. No evidence that alien craft and dead beings exist in Area 51 has ever been made available, moreover the CIA admits that reports of people viewing aliens have no ground based upon. The secrecy of highly-advanced aircraft, however, has led Area 51 into the most famous site of all UFO lovers and theories.
Study of captured Soviet planes
The US did not only tests own machines in Area 51, indeed during the cold war, the American agency had several Soviet planes, stolen thanks to the CIA and had also them tested over Nevada test site. Studying those planes allowed American technicians not only to estimate their efficiency but also to analyze their technology so to gain experience that was important in the race and competition for military dominance during the Cold war era.
Area 51 Security System
From all you’ve read one could understand why security in Area 51 is beyond amazing; in fact, all personnel and equipment were and still are transported by special aircraft and normally they had not have any information concerning what really happens in Area 51; they know only what, strictly, necessary so it means a strict rule of secrecy about anything the employees saw, heard and touched was mandatory to sign and in case of violation of such agreement it would have been extremely severe.
Area 51 Today
Today Area 51 is still connected with testing of military, secret projects, and intelligence gathering aircraft within the Nevada Test and training Range. Despite some details from Area 51 related to Cold War having being revealed it seems like current programs’ data remained extremely confidential as we don’t even know what is tested nowadays there as the public is completely restricted to entering the actual facility, so a common citizen can’t just stroll through the base whenever it wanted to.
“Storm Area 51” a internet movement:
Recently, a silly “internet storm” of Area 51 in 2019 gained the attraction of thousands online people who apparently, was curious about what was happening inside the American restricted site and how, eventually, everything came to be so secretive. As a matter of fact, it started like a jokingly online statement with a few friends but the story went incredibly viral and people reacted as in reality.
Other Information about Area 51:
Location: Nevada Desert, USA Groom Lake
Found: 1955
Purpose: Testing and Development of secret military aircraft
Famous for: Testing of advanced and secret U-2spy-plane, A-12 OXCART and UFO beliefs
Alias: Groom Lake, Watertown, Dreamland, Paradise Ranch
Active since: Cold War
No UFO Evidence at all.
The Mystery behind Area 51
What’s intriguing about the Area 51’s story is the fact that the reality behind it is so extraordinary that no aliens are necessary. The base has been built on purpose for the development of incredible and unthinkable flying machines that would have never existed if it hadn’t be the USA and their efforts towards technology innovation. The A-12 OXCART was so innovative and so advanced at that age that flying it around US would have surely made someone think aliens had visited the Earth.
Area 51 is really the symbol of American Secret experiments during the Cold War and the history behind its development represents one of the most famous chapter of US history although a part of what’s secretly happening there remain yet unknown.