Message posted by Joerg (Webmaster) on May 12, 2004 at 22:34:39 PST:
Well, here are my answers, in some cases educated guesses. I hope some of our regulars can contribute more. You will also find a wealth of information in our Area 51 section. #1+2: As far as I know both civilian and military personnel leaves from the McCarran Janet terminal. Plain clothes, no uniforms, no suits. The bags that some carry don't seem suitable for uniforms, so I assume they store their uniforms at their destination (TTR and Groom). #3: As far as we know the military personnel is assigned to Edwards AFB, more precisely the Air Force Flight Test Center (AFFTC) at Edwards North Base. Groom operates as Detachment 3 of that AFFTC. #4: Their spouses, friends, relatives etc. do not know where they work. They may speculate, but it is not to be discussed. If they need to, they use a somewhat plausible cover story. #4: The road sensors are primarily designed to detect cars driving by. They also have a sensor to detect motion, but only at very close range. The sensors use electromagnetic induction to detect moving metal objects up to about 15 feet distance. The detectable distance varies with the speed of the object. If you move extremely slow the detection range is much less, and you can actually sneak by undetected (if you know where they are). See these links for some background info: #5: Typically military personnel is only assigned for a certain period of time, and then goes back to their "regular" duty. Civilian personnel is employed by one of the contractors, and may be in one or another Black Project for most of their career. #7: Yes, there are over 30 dormitory buildings in the center of the base, which can house an estimated 1000 workers. I understand that, for a financial incentive, some workers have the option to stay at the base for the whole week, instead of flying home to Vegas on the Janets each night.
I hope this helps. Good luck with your novel, please keep us updated.
There is a phone number that spouses can call in an emergency. The operator takes down the name and callback number, the worker is notified and calls back if neccessary.
http://www.dreamlandresort.com/area51/sensors.html
http://www.dreamlandresort.com/area51/new_sensors.html
See this building map for the location of the dormitories:
http://www.dreamlandresort.com/area51/area51map.html
In Reply to: Need info on Groom Lake and Black ops posted by Andrea on May 12, 2004 at 22:01:05 PST:
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