AREA 51

2003 Space Imaging satellite photo of Area 51
Link here for more satellite images

The restricted area is more than a third of the whole Military Operating Area (MOA), and as a total, the Nellis Range equals 8,000,000 acres of airspace(12,500 square miles), larger than both the state of Maryland (at 10,577 sq. mi.) and the country of Belgium (at 11,780 sq. mi.).

Now you have an idea of why Area 51 is located where it is, in one of the least densely populated states in the continental US, the largest military range in the US, and close enough to a major metropolitan area to easily ferry workers to and from it's location.
Link here to view the border areas, map courtesy of Glenn Campbell.

The Official Stance On Area 51
The Central Intelligence Agency, along with Lockheed "Skunk Works", started building the base in 1955 for testing of the U-2 spyplane, which was to be secret. The CIA, in order to hide the testing, directed the Atomic Energy Commission to claim that the area, designated "Watertown", was an extension of the nuclear testing done at the Nevada Test Site. The Commission released the cover story to the Las Vegas Review Jounal. It wasn't until 1958 that the land was officially taken over by the AEC, but it was still being run by the CIA and the Lockheed 'Skunk Works' for it's spy planes. The government officially denied there was a facility at Groom Lake until 1994. That's when a law suit was filed on behalf of workers who had died, or were dying, of exposure to toxic chemicals. Area 51 had been burning their waste and classified materials for years. In 1995 President Clinton signed the first annual exemption of the Groom Lake facility, exempting it from Federal, State, Interstate and local environmental laws. It has been re-exempted every year since then. The military's current stance is not to lie about the facility, but to ignore the whole issue altogether.

Public Opinion Of Area 51
For years aviation and ufo buffs had heard rumors about the secret base, but it wasn't until the advent of the 'alien craze' of the early 1990's that it became a mainstream item. Science fiction shows such as the X-Files, Dark Skies and Stargate mentioned the base along with a multitude of movies and even television commercials. By 1995 it wasn't just a household name in America, it had reached a world-wide status.

The Transports Into Area 51
The Janet Airlines
The majority of Area 51's workers live in Las Vegas and are flown to the base from the "Janet" terminal of McCarran International Airport. The terminal is unmarked, fenced and guarded by the same security unit that guards the perimeter of Area 51. The Janet airlines are a fleet of unmarked 737-200's. Each weekday there are from 10 to 20 flights that take workers to and from Area 51 and the Tonopah Test Range (Area 52). Tonopah Test Range is also within the restricted area, about 60 miles to the northwest of Area 51. The Janet terminal is clearly seen from the main terminal area of McCarran, and from the larger casinos on the south Strip. Link here for more information on the Janet Airlines.

The Area 51 Worker Bus
Las Vegas is not the only place Area 51 workers reside. Just about every small town that rings the Restricted Area has someone who works there, including Rachel. The workers from the towns east of Rachel take an unmarked bus into the base every weekday. The bus starts in Alamo where it picks up the majority of people, then heads to Crystal Springs, where the workers from Caliente, Panaca and Pioche are picked up. From there the bus travels over Hancock Summit and down the Groom Lake Road where it crosses the Restricted Border around 5:45am, Monday through Friday. The bus comes back out of the Restricted Area at 3:45pm, taking the workers back home. Link here for more pictures of the bus.

The Area 51 Employees
The Operators Of Area 51
From history we can assume that the original operators of the U-2 and A-12 programs, the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), are probably still operating there. They would be running the third generation reconnaissance aircraft project, if one does exist. From there we could also assume that the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) would also be there to deal with the images and information obtained by those spy planes (the rumored "Aurora"). Also add to the list the National Security Agency (NSA). The CIA, NRO and the NSA would be the information retrieval and deciphering units. Glenn Campbell came up with the most important information to date as to which military unit operates at the base. According to information obtained by Campbell, a detachment from Edwards Air Force Base, Detachment 3 of the Air Force Flight Test Center (DET 3 AFFTC). The information was aquired when Glenn was doing research into the guard unit that patrols the outer perimeter of the base.

The Possible Civilian Contractors Who Operate At Area 51
For the actual development of advanced aircraft and the rumored energy weapon programs would take an extensive group of design/fabrication and test/evaluation units that would be, probably, the known defense contractors- Lockheed Martin, Northrup, Boeing, Hughes, and others. Definitely the Lockheed "Skunkworks", who were the first contractors at Area 51. Also because of the shear size of the Groom Lake facility, a host of maintenance personel would be needed on a daily basis. Those could include such companies as EG&G, Bechtel and RECCO. Link here for more information on the Groom Lake Contractors.