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Area 51 AKA Groom Lake: Still Secret

What do you think is happening at Area 51?

  • The development of top secret aircraft

    Votes: 15 71.4%

  • The hiding of recovered UFO's

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • Reverse Engineering from alien technology

    Votes: 1 4.8%

  • It's just another airbase

    Votes: 4 19.0%

  • Area 51 doesn't exist...

    Votes: 1 4.8%
  • Total voters
    21
Something I've always wondered and is probably going to be the biggest "Duh!" moment of my day but is there an Area 50, 49, 48...etc? Or even an Area 52, 53, 54...?
 
I can see where this confusion comes from...

Kwajalein is currently home to the BMDO test range. They launch missles from Vandenberg, CA, and then (attempt) shoot them down with inteceptor missiles launched from Kwaj. They then fudge the test results, which they give to Congress to procure more funding. They have lots of sensors based there to track and record the intercepts progress.

Being a de-facto wholly-owned subsidiary of the miltary-industrial complex (tm), and a top-secret, stay the hell out remote location, it's easy to see why some woo woos might spin tales about Kwaj. I'm surprised it took this long.
 
Having consulted my UFO library on this, the only explanation I can find for the nickname "Area 51" is that it is a "grid reference on old maps" which is rather vague. Some theories are discussed on the page The Biggest Air Force Base That Never Was

Since the author has managed to hit upon the perfect combination of typography and colour to render the page virtually unreadable, I shall quote the relevant passage to save you from eyestrain:

"Area 51" is the most popular unofficial name of the United States Air Force "operating location near Groom Lake, Nevada" and the land area of the Nevada Test Site that it once occupied. Less common names include "Groom Lake" or "Groom," "Paradise Ranch" or "The Ranch," "Watertown Strip" or "Watertown," "The Farm," "The Box," "Dreamland," "Project 51," and generically, "The Test Site."

The name "Paradise Ranch" was coined at the U-2 flight test program's inception, by Lockheed's Clarence L. (Kelly) Johnson, chief designer of the U-2, as a joke to mock the then marginally hospitable living conditions at Groom Lake. Johnson later noted, "It was kind of a dirty trick, since Paradise Ranch was a dry lake where quarter-inch rocks blew around every afternoon." "Watertown Strip" was coined, probably by the head of the CIA's U-2 program, Richard M. Bissell, Jr., in deference to Allen Dulles, then CIA director, whose birthplace was Watertown, New York. "The Farm," which is also the nickname of the CIA's training center at Camp Peary, Virginia, derives from the CIA's involvement at Groom Lake. "The Box" refers to the airspace surrounding Groom Lake, designated R-4808E, which prominently appears as a square box on. "Dreamland" has been the radio call sign of the control tower at Groom Lake and likely refers to the exotic aircraft tested there, the craft of aviators' dreams. "The Test Site" derives from Groom Lake's association with the Department of Energy's Nevada Test Site, of which Groom Lake officially became a part in 1958. "Project 51" is simply a variation of "Area 51."

The origin of the name "Area 51" apparently is classified; however, several theories have been proposed. It is generally agreed upon that the provision of an area designation for the operating location relates to the use of area designations at the adjacent Nevada Test Site, which are used to divide the site into readily identifiable parts. The Nevada Test Site consists of areas numbered 1 through 30, exclusive of 13 (which is off-site), 21, and 28, which was erased by the redrawing of the boundaries of its neighbors, Areas 25 and 27. The Tonopah Test Range, which is not on the Nevada Test Site but is in part operated by the Department of Energy, was referred to as "Area 52" in a 1990 internal telephone directory for the Nevada Test Site and older documents refer to Tonopah as "Project 52."

One theory is that 50-series designations are issued for certain off-site areas and that Groom Lake was named "Area 51" because it was the first such off-site area. That explanation would be invalid, though, if the Department of Energy decided to provide 50-series designations for other off-site locations only after Groom Lake had already been named "Area 51." In that case it may have been that the number "51" was chosen because the Nevada Test Site proper was unlikely ever to be composed of more than 50 numbered areas, such that "51" was the first available number, allowing for some growth or reorganization of the Nevada Test Site and because the relevant actors wanted Groom Lake to be associated with the Nevada Test Site rather than seen as an independent entity, which would have attracted unwanted attention.

Another possibility is that the origin of the name "Area 51" is related to Groom Lake's adjacency to Area 15 of the Nevada Test Site map."
 
Area 51 'hacker' charges dropped

Greets

Area 51 'hacker' charges dropped
By Kevin Poulsen, SecurityFocus
Published Friday 28th January 2005 12:07 GMT

Federal prosecutors formally dropped charges this month against an amateur astronomer who exposed a buried surveillance network surrounding the Air Force's mysterious "Area 51" air base in Nevada.

Chuck Clark, 58, was charged in 2003 with a single count of malicious interference with a communications system used for the national defense, after prosecutors held him responsible for the disappearance of one of the wireless motion sensors buried beneath the desert land surrounding the facility.

In a deal with the government last January, Clark agreed to enter a one-year term of "pretrial diversion" - a kind of probation - and to either locate and return the lost device, or make financial restitution to the Air Force. "He paid for the missing sensor, and complied with the conditions of his pretrial diversion and the case was dismissed," says Natalie Collins, a spokesperson for the US Attorney's Office in Las Vegas.

Clark was already known to Area 51 buffs as an expert on the spot the government calls the "operating location near Groom Lake, Nevada," when, in 2003, he discovered an electronic device packed in a rugged case and buried in the desert, given away only by a slender wisp of an antenna poking through the dirt.

Along with fellow base-watcher Joerg Arnu, Clark began mapping the sensors, using a handheld frequency counter to sniff out their tell-tale radio transmissions, Arnu said in an interview last year. Together they exhumed as many as 40 of the boxes, noted their unique three-digit codes, then reburied and tested them, said Arnu.

The sensors - an estimated 75 to 100 of them in all - were marked "U.S. Government Property." In some cases they were planted miles outside Groom Lake's fence line on public land used by hikers and photographers, as well as the occasional tourist hoping for a Close Encounter.

On 12 March, 2003 one of the sensors went missing, according to the government. FBI and Air Force agents descended on Clark's trailer home in tiny Rachel, Nevada - 100 miles north of Las Vegas along the Extraterrestrial Highway - and prosecutors later filed the felony charge against Clark. As part of the deal settling the case, Clark was barred from interfering with any of the sensors or otherwise breaking the law, and was obligated to keep the court apprised of his whereabouts during his year of supervision.

Shrouded in official secrecy, the Groom Lake facility has become a cultural touchstone for UFO mythology. But the base is generally believed to be dedicated to the more terrestrial mission of testing classified aircraft.

Clark's emancipation from government scrutiny comes well in time for Area 51's unofficial 50th anniversary campout, planned for Memorial Day weekend, and likely to draw tourists, UFOlogists, and exotic aircraft buffs from all over. They'll celebrate with "a campfire with live music" outside the base's main gate, according to the event website. "Be sure to respect the Area 51 boundaries," the site suggests. "If you see the warning signs you have gone too far."
Click to expand...

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2005/01/28/area_51_charges_dropped/

mal
 
Groom Lake Test Facility

Apologies if this exists somewhere else.

Having read the FTMB news piece on Area 51 appearing on the google satellite images, I had a look myself. It is hard to pinpoint the area even though I am familiar with where it should be.

There are numerous run ways, bases and hidden facilities out there. Areas are blacked out with oval spots and green dots. I even found a facility which had 4 ytennis courts clearly visible.

I have found some very strange markings on what I presume to be dried up lake beds. The best one is a very large circle with a central area marked out. A think line runs south from the centre of the circle and into what appears to be a 4 sided pyramid. This has a marking in the centre which looks like a radioactive sign. (You know the triangle tips pointing together).

What has anyone else found?
 
I've merged this with the Groom Lake thread. The direct link to the Google map page as given on the fornt page is:

here

See also

A report:

Area 51 secrets unveiled by Google

Aliens at dawn

By Wil Harris: Friday 15 April 2005, 09:50


AN ENTERPRISING surfer has found a way to harness Google's new mapping facility to uncover the secrets of Area 51.

The American military base, in the Nevada desert, is steeped in history and rumour - allegedly being the place where all of Uncle Sam's work with extra-terrestrials and physics-defying technology takes place. The place is so heavily guarded, it's almost impossible to get within miles of it.

However, with satellite map technology, you can uncover some pretty spectacular pictures of the base, including some interesting structures in and around it that can't quite be identified.

If you want to go take a peek around Area 51 for yourself, have a look at this ilustrated guide here. It's a fascinating read.

Homeland security? We've heard of it.
Click to expand...

Source

The link mentioned above:
www.livejournal.com/community/the_unexp ... tml#cutid1
 
If anybody wants directions to visible places, just PM me and I'll share what I have found so far. I've just found a road which appears to run into a mountain. :shock:
 
Ringo said:
If anybody wants directions to visible places, just PM me and I'll share what I have found so far. I've just found a road which appears to run into a mountain. :shock:
Click to expand...

Take screenshots, draw some arrows and upload them somewhere like imagebucket.

---------------
And can anyone explain the green circles??
 
Are these images in real time? If they are from a stock image captur library then they could have been censored. If they are a truly live feed then the green circles must represent a material which is somwhow light reflective, absorbing or refractingetc.
 
Ringo said:
Are these images in real time? If they are from a stock image captur library then they could have been censored. If they are a truly live feed then the green circles must represent a material which is somwhow light reflective, absorbing or refractingetc.
Click to expand...

Its not a real time feed it is just a set of static photos with a fancy pants interface (the dragging is esp. nice).
 
 
How big is it? It looks a bit like the aerial bombing targets the USAAF used to use.
 
Jerry B, not sure how big but the sat03 image gives some perspective.
 
Google Maps show sites of Fortean interest incl. Area 51

from this bbc news story: Photographs of North America's most significant landmarks and locations, including the Grand Canyon, Alcatraz and Mount Rushmore are being given a fresh perspective thanks to a tool by Google. ... One website ([url=http://www.shreddies.com]www.shreddies.com [actually .org]/gmaps)[/url] has begun to compile links to photographs of some of the most famous and unusual locations in the US.

Football stadiums, nuclear plants, air force bases and even the fabled "Area 51" are among the locations to have satellite photos.

a direct link to the area 51 zoom on gmaps. On the shreddies page there is a nice bit of contheorising about the fact that area 51 has no zoom over certain mag, and a poster pointed out that he worked at a nasa base where you could buy arial snaps at the gas station but they're not online - why? You get greater detail looking at the whitehouse (this is true of PP mentioned below).

Perhaps we can make our own version of the 'shreddies' site with areas of fortean interest posted here - haven't the time to do all of this myself but suggested locations would be: Point Pleasant, Amityville, White Sands etc. etc.

Oh and of course CIA headquarters and the Pentagon.
 
Ringo said:
Are these images in real time? If they are from a stock image captur library then they could have been censored. If they are a truly live feed then the green circles must represent a material which is somwhow light reflective, absorbing or refractingetc.
Click to expand...

The Green circles look like typical American irrugation systems to me, most farms looked like that when I flew (as a passanger) over the middle of the country some years ago. Of course in Michael Chricton's "Andromeda Strain" the secret base is disguised under a very similar looking agricultural research centre...
 
remember that area 51 was denied as real until someone produced satellite footage of it in a lawsuit. so it's not suprising that you can't look at it above a certain magnification.
 
does kind of fuel the fire that something is suspicious out there - I thought the official word was that it had been 'scaled down' and was now a simple milbase, with no testing etc.

anyone else care to dig up some interesting geomancical features - mygmaps.com allows the user (I believe) to plot places on any google map and display them.

I'll have a tinker when I have time and see whether we can show if any of the masonic washington leys are still visible.

laters ;)
 
Did anyone see the "weird" marks to teh north west of Groom lake in todays news?
It seems to have a road coming in form the top left. any ideas?

Ian. :?:
 
from shreddies.org:

"The Green dots are center pivot irrigation farm areas. This area must be irrigated to grow crops."

does that sound like the feature you noticed ianeames?
 
No, this was a lot further away, and was some sort of mark made in the earth by something on a huge scale judging by the road size near it. have a look here...

http://maps.google.com/maps?ll=37.66692 ... &t=k&hl=en

It looks like a bulls eye surrounded by a triangle.
if you zoom in you can see it doesn't appear to be some sort of logo added by google later, but is irregular in places and in colour.

U.S. Soldiers having a laugh off duty?

Ian.
 
P.S. I did read about ther green circles too, there are a few about, some single circles I have found look as if they are in really remote areas.

Ian. :)
 
I followed a road (track?) that goes into the design southwards and eventually came to a large road. how cool would it be to go there and follow it!
Also , the area around it is shown on the map version of teh page as a grey area with no detail, is this because it's a military area?

Ian.
 
Is it my imagination of does the set of circles seem to have been marked on the landscape in a way that assists it being seen from above? I mean, it doesn't seem to be warped by the landscaped features. It still looks to me like a target of some sort.

It's difficult to tell how old or new these features are, due to the environment in which it exists (i.e. arid). They could show old features from research (for whatever purpose) going back years.
 
an area of the canadian praries was used for testing bombs, including nukes....a target area is "drawn" on the ground with circles at 5 miles intervals, the formar testing site is now a British Military firing range, and they use the "marking" as roads, 5 mile circle. 10 mile circle 15 etc.... so being as how it's (area 51) a military testing zone i'd say that the "strange circle" are blast radius markers IMHO
 
Area 51

Whats goin on at Groom Lake (Area 51) do you think??
 
I thought it was common knowledge that the Us military used Nevada as their nuclear testing area. I believe most of the strange markings and circles are targets and measuring tools.What I find fascinating, is that we are able to view it for the first time, from our homes!

The actual site of Groom Lake is interesting as it was said not to exist but you can't make out anything more than an airbase with some sort of railroad attached.

I have even found, near the top of the grey section on the google map, a base with 4 tennis courts and an American Football grid.

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y132/R ... /sat07.jpg

I don't think the green circles are irrigation as they are clearly censored from the image. They have been doctored and in certain areas the dots are only partial. They are not areas of irrigated grass as the colour contrast is too high compared to the rest of the image. It may be that there are still nuclear silos in the desert?
 
Ian - f**k knows mate, but it could be some sort of bombing target.

Looks like a crop circle or Nazca line - perhaps it is indeed an alien landing pad.

dot23
 
I think the bombing target is most likely, but obviously I'd like them to be Alien landing pads! :lol:

I'ts really interesting that the map of the area is censored (?) but the arial photo's are not, so we can see ehat the base looks like, but not what it's called! :?

It's no good, I'm going to have to go out there...
I may be gone some time :rofl:

Ian.
 
I think there are huge hangars full of rolls and rolls of tin foil. I think great conspiracy is that governments create conspiracies in order to sell tin-foil.
 
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