There may not be aliens at America’s most famous top-secret military base, but what’s there makes everyone very curious.
For decades, the Area 51 air force facility in Nevada has been rumored to have aliens and their technology lurking behind its fences. Books and TV shows also reported and many people even tried to penetrate this area to find solutions.

In the middle of the barren Nevada desert, an unmarked dusty road leads to the front gate of Area 51. It is guarded by a chain-link fence, a large gate, and no trespassing signs.

Outside the gate, cameras observe every angle. At the top of the hill in the distance, a white pickup truck with a tinted windshield was watching everything below. Locals said the base can detect animals such as rabbits passing through the fence. Others say there are sensors positioned close to the fence.

Exactly what happens inside Area 51 has remained a big question mark for decades and there have been many interesting speculations about the area. Some people believe that aliens are hiding inside the base. Another rumor says that the base is a place to research captured Soviet aircraft. Some people even believe that the US government filmed the 1969 moon landing at this base.

The origin of a mystery

The beginnings of Area 51 are directly related to the development of the U-2 reconnaissance aircraft. After World War II, the Soviet Union sought to hide all information from the country and its Eastern European allies, causing the rest of the world to almost lose intelligence.

When the Soviet Union supported the Korean war in June 1950, it became increasingly clear that the Kremlin would aggressively expand its influence. The United States was worried about the Soviet Union’s technology, intentions, and ability to launch a surprise attack, which would resemble the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in 1945.

In the early 1950s, the US Navy and Air Force sent low-flying planes on reconnaissance missions over Soviet territory, but they were always at risk of being shot down. In November 1954, President Eisenhower approved the secret development of a high-altitude reconnaissance aircraft known as the U-2 program.

One of the first missions was to find a secret, remote location to design and test weapons. And they found it in the southern Nevada desert, near a salt flat called Groom Lake, which was a World War II training ground for air force pilots.

Known on maps as Area 51, this location in the middle of nowhere has become a new top-secret military base. To convince workers to come to work, Kelly Johnson, one of the leading engineers on the U-2 project, gave it a more attractive name, “Paradise Farm.”

Is a legend

Testing of the U-2 began in July 1955 and reports immediately flooded in of sightings of unidentified flying objects. Many of these sightings were observed by commercial airline pilots who had never seen an aircraft flying at such high altitudes as the U-2.

While today’s planes can fly as high as 15,000 m, in the mid-1950s, airlines only flew at altitudes of 5,000 – 7,000 m. The most modern military aircraft at that time could reach 13,000 m and some believed that manned flight could not fly higher than that. But the U-2 flew at an altitude of more than 20,000 meters and shocked commercial pilots.

Of course, Air Force officials knew the rumors stemmed from U-2 tests, but they were not allowed to reveal these details to the public. So “natural phenomena” or “high-altitude weather research” became the explanation for UFO sightings. Even in 1960 after Gary Powers’ U-2 was shot down over the Soviet Union, everything remained secret.

“This is Earth technology”

U-2 operations ceased in the late 1950s, but other top-secret military aircraft continued testing at Area 51. Over the years, the A-12 and many stealth aircraft such as the Bird of Prey, F-117A and TACIT BLUE were all developed and tested in the Nevada desert.

Many declassified documents reveal Area 51’s role in “Project Have Donut,” an effort in the 1970s to study Soviet MiGs secretly obtained by the US military.

“They flew rival planes over Area 51 and pitted them against enemy fighters,” said Peter Merlin, a historian who has studied Area 51 for more than three decades. yourself to develop tactics. And it’s still happening today. Now, instead of seeing MiG-17s and 21s, there are MiG-29s and Su-27s.”

However, the alien conspiracy theory was once very well-founded when in 1989, Bob Lazar – an engineer who worked in Area 51 – announced in an interview on local news in Las Vegas that he had seen aliens and had helped design alien spacecraft while working at the base.

Many people consider this to be fiction and are even uncomfortable with the concept including Merlin, who has spent years talking to former Area 51 engineers and employees. “This is what it is,” said Merlin. Earth technology, it’s actually American technology.”

The truth is…

Today, Area 51 is still very actively used. Looking at Google Earth, new construction and expansion is constantly happening. On most early mornings, sharp-eyed visitors can spot strange lights in the sky that move up and down. These were not UFOs but secret planes transporting personnel from Las Vegas’s McCarran airport to the base.

As for what’s happening today in America’s most secretive military base, Merlin has some educated guesses, including the military’s advancement of stealth technology, advanced weapons, electronic warfare systems and especially unmanned aerial vehicles.

Chris Pocock, a prominent U-2 researcher and author of several books on the subject, told Popular Mechanics that advanced aircraft, strange forms of radio communication, Directed energy weapons and lasers are currently being developed at the base.

While the legends surrounding Area 51 may be just fantasy, that won’t stop people from being curious about the base. The area surrounding the base became a major tourist attraction.

In 1996, the state of Nevada changed the name of Route 375 to “Extraterrestrial Highway” and interesting destinations such as the Alien Research Center… On the west side of Area 51, there is the Alien Cathouse, which is advertised as the world’s only alien-themed museum.

While most people don’t have the ability to get inside, curious civilians can actually drive up to the base’s front and back gates. Local people will guide you and the Dreamland Resort website will provide full support with maps and driving instructions for tourists.

However, the government doesn’t really want you looking at Area 51. Both Merlin and Pocock confirmed that they have been closely watched or even threatened by guards and security. Do not trespass in this area under any circumstances, or you will be arrested and heavily fined.