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Horus
12-13-2007, 02:54 AM
http://www.crystalinks.com/area51.gif

Area 51 is known by the general public as a pocket of land in southern Nevada, allegedly containing a secret aircraft testing facility. It is also known as a subject of many rumoured UFO conspiracy theories, of which we may or may never be able to prove.

ABOUT AREA 51

Area 51 is a section of land of approximately 60 square miles in Lincoln County, Nevada, USA. It is part of the vast (4687 square miles) Nellis Range Complex. The area consists largely of the wide Emigrant Valley, framed by the Groom and Papoose mountain ranges. Between the two ranges lies Groom Dry Lake, a dry alkali lake bed roughly three miles (5 km) in diameter. A large air base exists on the southwest corner of the lake with two concrete runways, at least one of which extends onto the lake bed, and two unprepared runways on the lake bed itself.

Area 51 shares a border with the Yucca Flats region of the Nevada Test Site (NTS), the location of many of the U.S. Department of Energy's nuclear weapons tests. The Yucca Mountain nuclear storage facility is approximately 40 miles (64km) southwest of Groom Lake. The designation "Area 51" is somewhat contentious, appearing on older maps of the NTS and not newer ones, but the same naming scheme is used for other parts of the Nevada Test Site.

WHAT GOES ON AT AREA 51

Groom Lake is not a conventional airbase, and front-line units are not normally deployed there. It appears, rather, to be used during the development, test and training phases for new aircraft. Once those aircraft have been accepted by the USAF, operation of that aircraft is generally shifted to a normal airforce base. Groom is reported, however, to be the permanent home for a small number of aircraft of Soviet design (obtained by various means). These are reportedly analysed and used for training purposes.

Soviet spy satellites obtained photographs of the Groom Lake area during the height of the Cold War, but these support only modest conclusions about the base. They depict a nondescript base, airstrip, hangars, etc., but nothing that supports some of the wilder claims about underground facilities. Later commercial satellite images show the base has grown, but remains superficially unexceptional.

CONSPIRACY

Now this is the fun part. Many of the more inquisitive public like to speculate on the precise purpose of Area 51, but it draws a lot of indecision. For those of us who still like to guess, here are some of the rumoured undertakings;


Meetings or joint undertakings with extra-terrestrials
The development of exotic energy weapons (for SDI applications or otherwise) or means of weather control
Activities related to a supposed shadowy world government


It's a great point of discussion, even though the government refuses to either prove nor deny its existence. For me, it's one of the most secretive areas on the planet, something which is in place for good reason. Secrets are put in place to avoid information falling into the wrong hands, to put a fine point on it. Something goes on there, and perhaps the Freedom of Information Act is being violated by us not knowing about it.

Your thoughts? What do YOU think goes on here, and what does the future hold?

Cattraknoff
12-13-2007, 03:00 AM
Well, I'm going to rule out the extra-terrestrials part largely because I doubt they'd see the point in meeting with our idiotic leaders.

As to the other conspiracies, it's difficult to say. Developing exotic weapons and the like doesn't seem too much a stretch. As to shadowy world governments, there have been semi-secretive meetings of the world elite for a very long time. However, it's always possible that there are men (and women?) above even them.

Whatever the case, I doubt most of us will ever know the truth. If the secrets are so great, if they are ever going to be compromised, they will likely be destroyed, and lost in the sands of time.

Horus
12-13-2007, 03:13 AM
From a more childlike perspective:

I enjoy the possibility that there are areas we can speculate about, and never be able to see at face value. I wonder occasionally about such areas as the hidden tombs underneath the Great Pyramids, and how many riches still go unfound. This is the same about Guantanamo Bay (in terms of secrecy) but I'd like to stay as far away as possible from that place.

Question: Of the three I mentioned at the beginning, which possible use for Area 51 seems the most plausible?

For me, it's the second; the idea of an exotic superweapon is something that is coming with an age of stagnation amongst leaders with far more power than they really know how to wield. This is in terms of influence AND firepower, and it's only a matter of time before someone can use the elements of the earth to destroy inhabitants of it.

Cattraknoff
12-13-2007, 03:15 AM
I'd go with the second. The world elite hardly need to use some top-secret place to meet. The public is lethargic when it comes to politics and what goes on in the world. It might even just be a testing ground for new planes or whatever.

Horus
12-13-2007, 03:21 AM
I'd go with the second. The world elite hardly need to use some top-secret place to meet. The public is lethargic when it comes to politics and what goes on in the world. It might even just be a testing ground for new planes or whatever.
That's another possibility. The SR-71 Blackbird was developed here.

http://www.globalaircraft.org/photos/planephotos/sr-71_1.jpg

Locke
12-13-2007, 05:42 AM
A shady world government? That is doubtful, since there are already many shady and rarely mentioned meetings of the sort (e.g: North American Union. These seem to be limited to continental regions rather than the entire globe.)
The horrors of military research and testing seem most plausible.

pSyChO mOnkee
02-14-2008, 12:33 AM
I love conspiracy theories and this is one I like to believe. I mean, why not they won't prove us wrong so why not?