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Geena Merkel Professor Kendra Andrews English 1102-046 April 18, 2013 Area 51: Paradise at Groom Lake Area 51, Paradise Ranch, Groom Lake, Nellis Complex Range, Nevada Testing Site; whatever its called, there is no way in telling what exactly it is. Located in Rachel, Nevada, it is said that high-tech weapons are built, stealth jets are tested, hovercraft from other planets are examined, or even that aliens are held for experiments. Declared a no-flying zone, the government owns and at the same time will not officially acknowledge its existence. There is turmoil from former employees, angry with the amount of toxins they had inhaled while working on the estranged base of the Edwards Air Force. From its opening in the 1950s to today, you can imagine how many have tried and failed in court for the right they should have: healthcare coverage for chronic respiratory disease. There are many people who protest every day that the government admits it is keeping aliens and hovercrafts hidden from the rest of the world. My question is, What do I believe happens at Area 51? What is definitely known about Area 51 is that its used by the US government to develop and test experimental aircraft and weapons systems (How Area 51 Works). After multiple sightings of strange lights above Groom Lake from the surrounding residents and a former employee, Bob Lazar, gave false claims on live television about hovercrafts being held at Area 51, the fad spread like wild fire. The surrounding town decided to have fun with it, naming

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the one and only road through the town Extraterrestrial Highway, with a restaurant down the road claiming Earthlings Welcome. Although this is all fun and games, some people are strongly convinced of its truth. I believe there are aliens somewhere in this universe, but I do not think human race is smart enough to have found them nor able to keep them contained. Area 51 is just a small section of the Nevada Testing Site, which is broken up into numbered areas 0-30. One area, however, was not named. Sitting next to Area 15, many say the site got the name Area 51 by transposing the 1 and 5 of its neighbor (How Area 51 Works). Others say it was not likely that the number 51 would be used for future expansion of the NTS. Why would it not have been used? Paradise Ranch is a sarcastic name because it is located in desert lands, and there is nothing paradise-like about it. Groom Lake is a now dried up lake where runways for planes are located, according to Google Maps. Officials refer to it as an operating location near Groom Lake when speaking to the publicall official names for the site appear to be classified (How Area 51 Works). Everyone knows Area 51 exists, why not just admit it and call it by its official name. Area 51 was originally created to test Lockheeds U-2 spy plane, a confirmed Area 51 project. Confirmed by whom? I am not sure. It is said that the CIA worked on the U-2 testing to spy on other nations, flying at altitudes of 70,000 feet. The next plane suspected of testing at Area 51 was the Suntan, a faster version of the U-2, but its liquid hydrogen fuel was the cause of its eventual downfall. The Blackbird was created later, becoming the actual successor of the U-2flying faster and higher. Stealth Aircraft was the next task at Area 51, Tactic Blue and Have Blue being the first two that were successful. Tactic Blue was called Shamu (How Area 51 Works) by its onlookers, its purpose to fly low over battle grounds. Have Blue first came to Area 51 as a prototype for another stealth fighter plane in 1977, but wasnt revealed to the public until 1990

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by the Air Force. The Bird of Prey, named after planes in Star Trek, has stealth bomber technology. The Black Manta may be one of the many kinds of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). These along with others were all jets created by the U.S. for spy purposes. All of these jets being tested in this one area, there must be toxic waste, or toxic fuel being led out. Another theory of why Area 51 exists today is that over 50 years ago, the US Military and Army Intelligence discovered some sort of aircraft in New Mexico. The initial report was it was a crashed flying saucer and the bodies that were recovered were alien (listverse). The site was evaluated to determined confirmed, potential, or uncontaminated ordnance presence Uncontaminated ordnance subsites are based on a lack of confirmed or potential ordnance evidence.(NAFR) How credible is this source however, being Prepared for and by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers? The article goes on to describe how there are no problems with the hydrology- the science of the use, distribution, and properties of the soil, and water- on the Nellis Complex Range. Fred Dunham is a former employee of Area 51, very willing to give up secrets. He is angry at his employers because they refuse to give him what he thinks he deserves. Dunham was hired as a security guard in 1980 and by 1987 he was diagnosed with pneumonia by the base doctor and had an x-ray taken of his lungs, which showed that of an 80 year old who had smoked 40 cigarettes a day for life. Dunham hadnt smoked a day in his life. After returning home and seeing his private doctor, he discovered that his coughing had separated his floating ribs from his rib cage. The base doctor told him he was no longer able to work so they cut off his access to the base. After hearing of deaths of his former co-workers, Dunham pieced together that his sickness was probably from his work at Area 51. Jonathan Turley is a lawyer who worked on two cases against the U.S. Air Force and the Environmental Protection Agency in 1994. After much turmoil and drama, Turley won because he found very-

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classified evidence. Soon after, however, President Bill Clinton signed a document exempting base staff from having to testify about activities on the base. Dunham is still working towards his goal out of pride and to this day, he says, I wish Id never worked up there. In other news, Obama is said to have denied the existence to Area 51. Apparently he was found outside yelling, Aw, come on! This is the whole reason I ran for President! Give me the keys, already! These conjectures and false claims are the reason Area 51 is discredited as not holding aliens. The government is probably allowing these to stay on the internet because they are so false and they are leading away from the true secrets of Area 51. That is another thought to ponder. Area 51 is held secret for reasons unknown. The government has rights for its secrets but why? The phenomenon is unraveling, more and more secrets being revealed and there are only more and more employees that will quit or retire with more secrets. Surely, one of them will have proof of what Area 51 holds and release it. Employees are mad about toxins, which leads me to wonder how are they discarding waste?

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Works Cited Batey, Angus. "Area 51: The Plane Truth." Telegraph.co.uk. N.p., 19 Apr. 2013. Web. 18 Apr. 2013. Strickland, Jonathan. "How Area 51 Works." HowStuffWorks. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Apr. 2013. USA. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Rock Island District. By U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and U.S. Army Defense Ammunition Center and School. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Apr. 2013. Weidinger, Patrick. "10 Secret US Military Intelligence Projects." Listverse. N.p., 2011. Web.21 Apr.2013.