Area 51 is the name for a United States military base. The public says that the government is hiding aliens there. The facts on the other hand say different. The base was strictly used as a military testing site for new technology. The many insane conspiracies about Area 51 are all false.
Area 51 was founded in 1954 as a place where Lockheed Aircraft Corporation could develop the U-2, a high-altitude spy plane. They chose this location so that they would have space to test-fly the U-2. Kelly Johnson was the designer of the U-2. The U-2 was being developed and tested during World War II. This area was selected because it was secluded, and the lake bed offered the perfect air strip to test the new aircraft as they perfected it. The mountains by the base also served as protection for the testing site. The base was also where the OXCART Project took place, which later became known as the SR-71 Blackbird. This project is what caused the expansion of the air base. In 1977 the Lockheed Have Blue stealth fighter prototype took flight. The Have Blue eventually transformed into the production of the F-117 stealth planes. Not only were these new planes tested here, but the weapons in the stealth fighter planes were also tested at the base. Area 51 was also used as a training base for the first class frontline pilots assigned to the F-117 Stealth fighter plane. In the following years after the F-117 took flight, the base was again expanded to allow programs of larger proportions. Steven Aftergood, the director of the Federation of American Scientists’ Project on Government Secrecy explains that the general belief is that the base was used to test aircraft such as the U-2 spy plane, the Sr-71, and the F-117 stealth fighter plane. He quotes: “Area 51 is referred to as a concrete manifestation …show more content…
For those who truly believe in the conspiracy theories and other ideas of what the base is being used for, the ideas are dismissed by the majority of our population. The people are so intrigued by Area 51 because of the lack of evidence, and the fact that it is an area we are prohibited to enter or even approach. The area is restricted in fear that the weapon information get into the wrong hands. During November of 2011 the White House released their official position on aliens. Their official statement quotes: “The U.S. government has no evidence that any life exists outside our planet, or that an extraterrestrial presence has contacted or engaged any member of the human race. In addition, there is no credible information to suggest that any evidence is being hidden from the public’s eye.” This official quote from our government proves to us that we have not come into any contact with life outside of our own planet, therefore it would be impossible for the government to be hiding something that does not even exist. This is the first statement of its kind since 1947, making it more significant. It is also the first statement to give a formal position on the subject from the Executive Branch. According to CNN, following the Freedom of Information Act requested by Jeffrey T. Richelson, the Central Intelligence Agency, or CIA, released documents that confirmed the existence of Area 51. The report they gave stated that the government used Area 51 as a test site for special surveillance
Area 51 was founded in 1954 as a place where Lockheed Aircraft Corporation could develop the U-2, a high-altitude spy plane. They chose this location so that they would have space to test-fly the U-2. Kelly Johnson was the designer of the U-2. The U-2 was being developed and tested during World War II. This area was selected because it was secluded, and the lake bed offered the perfect air strip to test the new aircraft as they perfected it. The mountains by the base also served as protection for the testing site. The base was also where the OXCART Project took place, which later became known as the SR-71 Blackbird. This project is what caused the expansion of the air base. In 1977 the Lockheed Have Blue stealth fighter prototype took flight. The Have Blue eventually transformed into the production of the F-117 stealth planes. Not only were these new planes tested here, but the weapons in the stealth fighter planes were also tested at the base. Area 51 was also used as a training base for the first class frontline pilots assigned to the F-117 Stealth fighter plane. In the following years after the F-117 took flight, the base was again expanded to allow programs of larger proportions. Steven Aftergood, the director of the Federation of American Scientists’ Project on Government Secrecy explains that the general belief is that the base was used to test aircraft such as the U-2 spy plane, the Sr-71, and the F-117 stealth fighter plane. He quotes: “Area 51 is referred to as a concrete manifestation …show more content…
For those who truly believe in the conspiracy theories and other ideas of what the base is being used for, the ideas are dismissed by the majority of our population. The people are so intrigued by Area 51 because of the lack of evidence, and the fact that it is an area we are prohibited to enter or even approach. The area is restricted in fear that the weapon information get into the wrong hands. During November of 2011 the White House released their official position on aliens. Their official statement quotes: “The U.S. government has no evidence that any life exists outside our planet, or that an extraterrestrial presence has contacted or engaged any member of the human race. In addition, there is no credible information to suggest that any evidence is being hidden from the public’s eye.” This official quote from our government proves to us that we have not come into any contact with life outside of our own planet, therefore it would be impossible for the government to be hiding something that does not even exist. This is the first statement of its kind since 1947, making it more significant. It is also the first statement to give a formal position on the subject from the Executive Branch. According to CNN, following the Freedom of Information Act requested by Jeffrey T. Richelson, the Central Intelligence Agency, or CIA, released documents that confirmed the existence of Area 51. The report they gave stated that the government used Area 51 as a test site for special surveillance