- Click to share on Facebook (Opens in a new window)
- Click to share on Twitter (Opens in a new window)
- Click here to share on LinkedIn (Opens in a new window)
- Click to email a friend (Opens in a new window)
(CNN Spanish) - For decades, Area 51 has long been a place where the US Government Keep dark secrets about aliens and UFOs. According to the Government itself in 2013, it is only an Air Force base, but that has not stopped conspiracy theories that claim Area 51. Recently it was confirmed that the US He has invested 22 million dollars researching UFOs.
LOOK: The date for the irruption in Area 51 has arrived and the brands are taking advantage of it
Look at this data on Area 51 and why it has been the focus of conspiracy theories:
What is Area 51?
It is a facility of the US Air Force in Groom Lake, Nevada. In 2013, the CIA declassified documents that officially recognized that the area was a secret military base. It was the first time that the Government recognized the existence of Area 51.
According to that report, we now know that the facility was used to test the U-2 and Oxcart aerial surveillance programs.
MIRA: Why are the pilots watching UFOs?
Where do conspiracy theories come from?
It would all have started in 1989 by the testimony of Robert Lazar, explains the Encyclopedia Britannica. Lazar told the media that he had worked in an area of Area 51 and that he allegedly saw autopsy photos of aliens. In addition, he stated that the Government used the base to examine extraterrestrial ships. Lazar's testimony has been discredited, but it was the spark that unleashed many of the theories that the Government knows about extraterrestrial life, and hides it.
LOOK: You can die if you try to storm Area 51 in search of aliens (according to these memes)
Why so much mystery?
This is a usual question: why if there has been so much speculation, did the government take so long to pronounce itself? According to declassified CIA documents in 2013, the purpose of the facilities was kept hidden so that the Soviets did not know what it was.
LOOK: Pilots report seeing a “very fast” UFO over Ireland
And the UFO sightings?
Over the years, many people have reported seeing unidentified flying objects near Area 51, explains the Encyclopedia Britannica. According to the CIA, the U-2 and Oxcart test flights explain the sightings. Something to clarify, the word UFO is already part of popular culture and is easily associated with extraterrestrial life, but the truth is that any unidentified flying object is a UFO, but it does not necessarily come from outer space.
What happens in Area 51?
Beyond saying that it is a military installation, the Government has not specified what type of investigation or operations are carried out in Area 51.
The employees who work there arrive by plane, says the Encyclopedia Britannica. They take flights from a restricted terminal at McCarran International Airport "on one of several unmarked planes that are allowed to fly over Area 51," which is a flight restriction zone.
LOOK: Authorities warn UFO enthusiasts not to enter Area 51: Military "are ready"
Why is it called Area 51?
As with all of Area 51, there is much speculation, but the truth is that it is not known for sure how he received his name.
extraterrestrial
