Message posted by werD on March 15, 2009 at 21:06:22 PST:
I think the answer to this question is more-or-less answered somewhere else on the page, but just in case, here's your answers. Click on the "Area 51 FAQ" page... there's a lot more easy answers there. I hope this helps: When the government hires someone to design something they want kept secret (like a special technology that we don't want our enemies to copy or be able to counteract), they put very strict requirements on how the company can do the work, and who can know what about the new technology. This is, at least from my opinion (which is informed by some really knowledgeable people on this site as well as a few other sites and books), why places like Area 51 exist. The government works closely with the contractors it hires to work on secret projects to help ensure that they're getting a quality product, and to make sure that the companies keep government secrets-- and so they provide facilities for their contractors to test technology that are hidden from public view. The divisions of aerospace companies (like Boeing) that develop civilian aircraft have absolutely no reason to fly their planes into the middle of the desert to test them... there is not much need for secrecy. Part of keeping a place safe for secrets is making sure you don't have more people visit than is absolutely necessary. This means everyone who visits needs a serious background check that involves looking into a lot of personal history. All of this, along with the cost of getting water, food, equipment and people into the middle of the desert efficiently means that doing ANYTHING in the kind of secrecy needed at a government facility is very expensive. Boeing does have a division that designs secret technologies for the government- it's called PhantomWorks. They probably have tested something at Area 51. Lockheed Martin has definitely tested things at the base.
In Reply to: Is Area-51 strictly government use? posted by Sam N. on March 15, 2009 at 19:14:21 PST:
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