Message posted by Peter Merlin on August 31, 2010 at 9:25:35 PST:
My interest in Groom Lake began around 1983 when I first read about the “secret airbase in Nevada” where the Lockheed U-2 was tested. I kept finding references to the base as a test site for other secret programs such as the Lockheed Blackbird spy planes, Russian fighters, and stealth aircraft. There were apparently few details available in the public domain so it was an just an intriguing mystery. By 1995, there was a great deal of public interest in Area 51 because of the UFO rumors. We still didn't know much about the base but a small group of people began pooling their talents and putting the pieces together. One of the biggest breakthroughs came when we learned that the facility was operated by the Air Force Flight Test Center. I think one of the most important and surprising discoveries about Area 51 is the fact it was never classified. Construction of the original facility and its location were announced to the news media in the 1950s. Area 51 was clearly marked on unclassified government maps until at least 1977. Base telephone numbers were published in unclassified company newsletters for Nevada Test Site contractors. During the 1960s and early 1970s, guards at the site wore badges with the words "Area 51 Security Force." Although technical details of projects at Area 51 are classified, much of the “secrecy” of Area 51 is a myth. Ironically, the mythical secrecy of Groom Lake has done the most to expose its secrets. In an October 1987 article for the Las Vegas Review-Journal, Christopher Beall described Area 51 as “a place with a history of dark rumors and speculation, and a name that has even now become an object of folklore.” This is exactly why Area 51 has so captured the public’s attention and driven so many people to dig into the details of the world's most famous "secret" base. While some people seem only to be excited by the most sensationalistic stories surrounding Groom Lake, I am much more fascinated by the real history of the base. A small, temporary facility, funded on a shoestring budget to support a single program has grown into a multibillion dollar national test complex hosting numerous high-priority projects. Who needs UFOs?
In Reply to: Peter Merlin posted by TheSkunkWorks on August 31, 2010 at 6:51:33 PST:
Replies: