The Mystery of Area 51

Robyn Phillips English 1103

Previous Knowledge
American conspiracy theory Unknown Purpose
Associated with aliens and UFO sightings Government secret

Movies and Television E.T. Independence Day Roswell

Inquiry Question:
How has Area 51 received its reputation of being associated with aliens and UFOs?

Area 51
Common Names:
Groom Lake Paradise Ranch Area 51

Location:
Nevada Desert 80 miles north of Vegas Tikaboo Peak Las

Purpose:
Secret military base for the United States

The Cold War

Rivalry between the United States and the Soviet Union Satellites flew overhead to capture images of enemy nations Soviet Union captured image of Area 51 Airline strips and clusters of buildings United States became aware Hoot and Scoot Fake cutouts of aircrafts to confuse the Soviets Buildings designed to hide military air weapons

Government Document
The Central Intelligence Agency and Overhead Reconnaissance: The U-2 and OXCART Programs, 1954-1974
400 page document Requested by the FOIA in 2005

Published the secrets and operatives of U-2 spy planes and other programs Names of pilots, locations, codenames, funding, organization, etc.

Aliens and U-2s

U-2 Military Spy Crafts Fly up to 60,000 feet in the air Can fly vertically Used to spy on enemies (Soviets) Look different then all other aircraft people are normally used to Increase in UFO sightings with the increase of U-2 testing Ex: Roswell Crash

Roswell Crash
July 8th 1947 RAAF Captures Flying Saucer on Ranch in Roswell Region Mr. and Mrs. Wilmot Large glowing object flew overhead at a height of around 1,500 feet at an estimated high speed of 400 to 500 mph Oval in shape like two inverted saucers, faced mouth to mouth Collected by the government Now a tourist site

Inquiry Conclusion:
The presence of these U-2 aircrafts were what gave people the idea that alien spacecraft was flying overhead, when in fact it was the secret advanced jets by the United States government.