Area 51 In May 1989 a technical engineer named Robert Lazar claimed on KLAS TV news, a Las Vegas television station, that he had worked in 'reverse engineering', (the vehicle propulsion system of alien craft) for 5 months at Sector S-4. He claimed that this was the base on the shores of Papoose Lake which is within the airspace termed ?dreamland? by pilots and users of aviation frequencies. He also alleged that there were 9 alien craft being housed and tested at S-4. For the most part Lazar was rational and completely credible. He seemed to be a reluctant witness and has never actively promoted himself or any of his products. Naturally he made history. Unfortunately for the Believers it has never been absolutely proven that Lazar did work at Area 51 and some of his academic credentials, including claims that he was at MIT and Cal Tech appear to be untrue. He has also been arrested on charges of pandering and that certainly didn't do his reputation any good!! The problem is that Area 51 does officially not exist. With the aid of a telescope the Groom Lake base is visible from Tikaboo Peak. Until October 1993 it was visible from public land, namely the often visited sites of Freedom Ridge and White Sides Mountain. Satellite photos reveal the structures and the 9.5 km landing strip on the western edge of the dry lake. There are numerous signs at the border warning potential trespassers that the 'use of deadly force is authorised'. But the base still does not exist. In fact topographical maps show that there is absolutely nothing there - except mountains, a few lakes and some insignificant roads. Since December 1994 a lawyer named Jonathon Turley has represented 5 ex-Groom Lake employees and the widow of another in bringing a lawsuit against the Pentagon and the Environmental protection agency. They claim that toxic waste was openly burned throughout the 80's in Area 51 resulting in serious illness which was terminal in the case of Robert Frost! The US Government got so snotty about the whole thing that they attempted to ban the use of the terms ?Area 51' and 'Dreamland' from court proceedings and managed to ban Turley from owning a copy of or even referring to the Groom Lake security manual - even though anyone with internet access can view it for themselves. In 1996 the case was dismissed. It seems that Groom Lake is exempt from environmental laws. Especially as it doesn't exist ;^) So just what exactly is Area 51? Beginning just north of Las Vegas is an enormous tract of land (3.1 million acres), belonging to the United States Air Force and encompassing the Nevada Nuclear Test Site and various bases; including Nellis Airforce Bombing and Gunnery Range, Tonapah Test Range and the 6 by 10 mile tract of land which is marked Area 51 in old government maps. It's airspace is sacred - off limits even to military pilots. Trespassershave been fined $600 (some accounts say $6000) after being handcuffed and strip searched (allegedly) by the private security guards who wear camouflage fatigues and drive white Cherokee jeeps and carry walkie talkies and big guns. They are called the 'Cammo - Dudes'!! Known by various names - the Pig Farm, The Box and Paradise Ranch, but most commonly as Area 51 or Dreamland the base is located about 95 miles (153 km) North West of Las Vegas. The main complex is situated on the western shores of the Groom dry lake, along with one of the worlds longest runways. Bob Lazar claimed to have worked in Sector S-4, which is south of Groom Lake on the shores of Papoose Lake. The base was built for Lockheed in 1954 for the purpose of designing, building and testing spyplanes and even back then there were people who claimed to have seen strange lights and weird things in the sky. One guy even said that there was craft with a cockpit that was too small to contain a man. Besides the development of the Blackbird stealth aircraft. In fact Area 51 seems to be responsible for anything ?black budget'. Allegedly the B2 Stealth bomber defies gravity, the technology having been garnered from alien craft at Area 51 and the latest Dreamland project is the hypersonic Aurora. In 1984 the Airforce illegally claimed about 89, 000 acres of land that surrounded Groom Lake. Later that year a representative claimed to a congressional committee that the Airforce did have the authority to take the land but that the source of this authority could not be revealed. Despite all this need for secrecy a surveying error left Freedom Ridge and White Sides Mountain accessible to the public. 5 years later when Bob Lazar told the world about S-4 hordes of people arrived in the area to check it out for themselves. It took them a while but not surprisingly the Airforce finally had the Interior Department close Freedom Ridge and White Sides Mountain. So much for that. 25 miles north of Groom Lake is the closest town: Rachel and north of that: the 'Extraterrestrial Highway'. In 1995 a bill was put forward by Roy Neighbours, of the State Assembly to call Route 375 the ?Extraterrestrial Alien Highway'. It looked like nothing was going to come of it but maybe Nevada need some extra revenue because the Governor, Bob Miller negotiated with Fox Studios to jointly market the Highway in conjunction with the release of Independence Day. On the 18th of April 1996 the Extraterrestrial Highway was unveiled. Some members of the cast and crew of ID4 were there, but Will Smith wasn't!! Most of the 100 people who reside in Rachel live in mobile homes. Glenn Campbell's Area 51 Research Centre is located in a trailer. One of the only permanent buildings is the Little A'Le'Inn - also the only motel/resturant/bar in Rachel - which is owned by Pat and Joe Travis. The A'Le'Inn and the 'black mailbox' are the meeting places of the hundreds A'Le'Inn and the 'black mailbox' are the meeting places of the hundreds of UFO chasers who flock to Area 51 every year. I wrote to Glenn Campbell, webmaster, writer, cult leader (and those really are his own words) and director of operations at the Research Centre about a quote he had made ("If the government did have an alien craft...Area 51 would be the place to keep them.") and he said he wouldn't agree with it today. Even the people at Area 51 are shrouded in mystery.
Area 51
In May 1989 a technical engineer named Robert Lazar claimed on KLAS TV news, a Las Vegas television station, that he had worked in 'reverse engineering', (the vehicle propulsion system of alien craft) for 5 months at Sector S-4. He claimed that this was the base on the shores of Papoose Lake which is within the airspace termed ?dreamland? by pilots and users of aviation frequencies. He also alleged that there were 9 alien craft being housed and tested at S-4. For the most part Lazar was rational and completely credible. He seemed to be a reluctant witness and has never actively promoted himself or any of his products. Naturally he made history. Unfortunately for the Believers it has never been absolutely proven that Lazar did work at Area 51 and some of his academic credentials, including claims that he was at MIT and Cal Tech appear to be untrue. He has also been arrested on charges of pandering and that certainly didn't do his reputation any good!!
The problem is that Area 51 does officially not exist. With the aid of a telescope the Groom Lake base is visible from Tikaboo Peak. Until October 1993 it was visible from public land, namely the often visited sites of Freedom Ridge and White Sides Mountain. Satellite photos reveal the structures and the 9.5 km landing strip on the western edge of the dry lake. There are numerous signs at the border warning potential trespassers that the 'use of deadly force is authorised'. But the base still does not exist. In fact topographical maps show that there is absolutely nothing there - except mountains, a few lakes and some insignificant roads.
Since December 1994 a lawyer named Jonathon Turley has represented 5 ex-Groom Lake employees and the widow of another in bringing a lawsuit against the Pentagon and the Environmental protection agency. They claim that toxic waste was openly burned throughout the 80's in Area 51 resulting in serious illness which was terminal in the case of Robert Frost! The US Government got so snotty about the whole thing that they attempted to ban the use of the terms ?Area 51' and 'Dreamland' from court proceedings and managed to ban Turley from owning a copy of or even referring to the Groom Lake security manual - even though anyone with internet access can view it for themselves. In 1996 the case was dismissed. It seems that Groom Lake is exempt from environmental laws. Especially as it doesn't exist ;^)
So just what exactly is Area 51? Beginning just north of Las Vegas is an enormous tract of land (3.1 million acres), belonging to the United States Air Force and encompassing the Nevada Nuclear Test Site and various bases; including Nellis Airforce Bombing and Gunnery Range, Tonapah Test Range and the 6 by 10 mile tract of land which is marked Area 51 in old government maps. It's airspace is sacred - off limits even to military pilots. Trespassershave been fined $600 (some accounts say $6000) after being handcuffed and strip searched (allegedly) by the private security guards who wear camouflage fatigues and drive white Cherokee jeeps and carry walkie talkies and big guns. They are called the 'Cammo - Dudes'!!
Known by various names - the Pig Farm, The Box and Paradise Ranch, but most commonly as Area 51 or Dreamland the base is located about 95 miles (153 km) North West of Las Vegas. The main complex is situated on the western shores of the Groom dry lake, along with one of the worlds longest runways. Bob Lazar claimed to have worked in Sector S-4, which is south of Groom Lake on the shores of Papoose Lake. The base was built for Lockheed in 1954 for the purpose of designing, building and testing spyplanes and even back then there were people who claimed to have seen strange lights and weird things in the sky. One guy even said that there was craft with a cockpit that was too small to contain a man. Besides the development of the Blackbird stealth aircraft. In fact Area 51 seems to be responsible for anything ?black budget'. Allegedly the B2 Stealth bomber defies gravity, the technology having been garnered from alien craft at Area 51 and the latest Dreamland project is the hypersonic Aurora.
In 1984 the Airforce illegally claimed about 89, 000 acres of land that surrounded Groom Lake. Later that year a representative claimed to a congressional committee that the Airforce did have the authority to take the land but that the source of this authority could not be revealed. Despite all this need for secrecy a surveying error left Freedom Ridge and White Sides Mountain accessible to the public. 5 years later when Bob Lazar told the world about S-4 hordes of people arrived in the area to check it out for themselves. It took them a while but not surprisingly the Airforce finally had the Interior Department close Freedom Ridge and White Sides Mountain. So much for that.
25 miles north of Groom Lake is the closest town: Rachel and north of that: the 'Extraterrestrial Highway'. In 1995 a bill was put forward by Roy Neighbours, of the State Assembly to call Route 375 the ?Extraterrestrial Alien Highway'. It looked like nothing was going to come of it but maybe Nevada need some extra revenue because the Governor, Bob Miller negotiated with Fox Studios to jointly market the Highway in conjunction with the release of Independence Day. On the 18th of April 1996 the Extraterrestrial Highway was unveiled. Some members of the cast and crew of ID4 were there, but Will Smith wasn't!!
Most of the 100 people who reside in Rachel live in mobile homes. Glenn Campbell's Area 51 Research Centre is located in a trailer. One of the only permanent buildings is the Little A'Le'Inn - also the only motel/resturant/bar in Rachel - which is owned by Pat and Joe Travis. The A'Le'Inn and the 'black mailbox' are the meeting places of the hundreds A'Le'Inn and the 'black mailbox' are the meeting places of the hundreds of UFO chasers who flock to Area 51 every year. I wrote to Glenn Campbell, webmaster, writer, cult leader (and those really are his own words) and director of operations at the Research Centre about a quote he had made ("If the government did have an alien craft...Area 51 would be the place to keep them.") and he said he wouldn't agree with it today. Even the people at Area 51 are shrouded in mystery.