The Air Force has abandoned "Area-51"; A look into the R&D work at "Restricted Space R-6413".

Popular Mechanics ^ | FR Post 4-11-2003 | BY JIM WILSON

[vannrox]

Cool article.

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[U S Army EOD]

Thank God we finally got the cloaking device working on the UFO's we have stored in Area 51 before this guy showed up.

[demlosers]

bump for later read

[chnsmok]

Always loved it when some caller would call in to C-Span and ask some congress critter on an appropriations committee what the budget for Area 51 was. The critter would hem and haw and look all important. Then say it was classified. Always good for a laugh.

[Ahban]

That IS cool. I'm glad to hear that reports of the demise of the X-33 were premature. It appears the platform is being recast for another role.

[Tennessee_Bob]

Heh heh heh...

Not one mention of Dreamland or S-3.

[RS]

What is this doing in news? - This issue of Popular Mechanics was out in 1997

[Texas_Jarhead]

I don't want to see the FedGov abandon ANY facilities in the SW.

[Quix]

i AGREE. Cool article.

However, I believe it's a smoke screen . . .

OR

it's a hybrid craft with 'anti-grav' capabilities.

or a simple distraction.

I suppose it could be somewhat as billed IF as some claim, our anti-grav craft can't leave our atmosphere.

But then there are those who insist we have had bases on the moon and mars for a long time--quickly accessed by fast ET technology craft.

Guess we shall see eventually.

[bonesmccoy]

Dang Dude!

You're fricking awesome!

This article is spectacular... now I have regained my confidence in the US gov't ability to do the work it needs.

Aurora/HaveRegion lives!

No wonder there is no follow on to STS in NASA!

[Brett66]

This is an old article from years ago. They aren't doing anything with the X-33 boondoggle except letting it's disassembled parts collect dust in a hangar somewhere.

[Brett66]

The Air Force had the oppurtunity to continue development on the X-33 but they declined.

Air Force Says No To NASA's Spaceplane Programs

[tophat9000]

Bull their still there ... I had an offer to go to work for them out there in the end of 99

[Pyro7480]

Old names die hard.... you know what I find funny? If you separate the "6413" in "Restricted Space R-6413" into two numbers, 64 and 13, and do some subtraction, guess what you get??? 51!

[Leisler]

I'd say something, but they would kill me.

[bonesmccoy]

thanks for the correction. I was getting excited that our country could have a follow-on to the STS program, but alas... I am mistaken!

I just found this webpage in doing a search at google.com

http://www.geocities.com/area51/atlantis/1545/movinghtml.html

By: Norio Hayakawa
Norio Hayakawa and his ONE-MAN BAND
GroomWatch

There is no substance whatsoever to the absurd rumor that Area 51 and its operations were abandoned and were relocated elsewhere, such as to the Green River missile complex in Utah.

This rumor originated in a poorly-researched article that first appeared in the June 1997 issue ofPopular Mechanics. No doubt the article was greatly "appreciated" by Nellis Air Force Base, particularly by those at the "remote operating base" at Groom Lake, Nevada.

The folks at Nellis AFB probably rolled on floor laughing over the article, which was riddled with factual errors. The Popular Mechanics piece also must have brought much delight to then-Secretary of the Air Force Sheila Widnall. It can only be hoped that this type of misinformed article did not successfully curtail the public's interest in and rightful scrutiny of Area 51, particularly in regards to those issues relative to the alleged infractions of environmental statutes at the site.

The article, written by Jim Wilson, science editor of Popular Mechanics, inferred that the Air Force had abandoned top-secret testing at its once most secret test site. Then Wilson came to the hasty conclusion that "we know why and we know where they moved to (i.e., Utah)." Nothing is farther from the truth than this overly generalized inference. Jim Wilson, despite his probable sincerity and good intentions, obviously missed the big picture.

To begin with, he obviously took a wrong turn on "Groom Lake dirt road" and went to a location that had very little to do with Area 51. It was obvious from the photo that what he did was go south on the "Mail Box dirt road" from Highway 375, crossed the "Groom Lake dirt road" and went south until he encountered an old, poorly maintained wind fence. Wilson apparently believed that he had arrived at the back gate of Area 51, when in reality he had arrived at the northeastern boundary of Range 61. Based on what he saw there, Wilson decided that nothing was happening at Area 51, rashly stating that "the 'cammo dudes' are no longer patrolling the perimeter of Area 51" and further stating that "what we found was a securely locked wind fence that appears to have been undisturbed for months."

Wilson commented that even though he had arrived at the back door to Area 51, there was "no guard post". Yet there never was a guard post at that location, ever! He also stated in the article that the "warning signs flanking the gate aren't very threatening either." Perhaps he didn't realize that there never existed any "threatening" warning signs at that location except for a sign that says "NO TRESPASSING: Nellis Bombing Range." The location Wilson was at is not Area 51 -- it is merely the northeastern boundary of Range 61. From this, Wilson drew the stunning conclusion that Area 51 has been shut down!

I suggest next time that he go to the right location, towards the real Guard Shack area (west all the way on Groom Lake Road) where he may really encounter the "cammo dudes," white Jeep Cherokees and perhaps a Blackhawk chopper or two to welcome him, if he dare stray into the Guard Shack area. He would also see "threatening" warning signs along the dirt road that clearly state: "LETHAL FORCE WILL BE USED."

In fact, according to several reliable sources, the intensity of the activity at Groom Lake has not decreased at all. There may be more going on now at Groom Lake than ever before. In October of 1997, I observed the Groom Lake facility from high atop Tikaboo Peak and verified with my own eyes that the facility is definitely still in operation there. A couple of new water tanks seem to have been added recently behind the big hangar area. Also, upon comparison with a high-resolution panoramic photo that I acquired (allegedly taken several months after the closure of both the Freedom Ridge and White Sides), I have no doubt that there is new construction underway, particularly along the southwest slope next to Groom Lake. (I had observed the Groom Lake facility a number of times before from both the White Sides hill and the Freedom Ridge before those hills became off-limits to the public).

Also, at 7:30 on the night before I climbed Tikaboo Peak in October 1997, I happened to be standing with my companions at the exact spot where Jim Wilson had stood at the northeastern boundary of Range 61. As we were looking in the direction of Groom Lake, we were startled by a sudden illumination of the sky towards Groom Lake and witnessed three or four reddish balls of light that appeared and then disappeared momentarily, after which the sky over that area returned to total darkness.

I am unable to speculate what those reddish balls of light were -- they were definitely different from the military aircraft flares that I had seen many times near Area 51 -- but this unexplained aerial activity continued intermittently, occurring about three times during the next twenty minutes or so. Without question, there was activity of some kind that night at Groom Lake, in stark contrast to Wilson's misinformed allegation that nothing is going on at Area 51 and that nothing was going on when he was standing at the northeastern boundary of Range 61, looking towards the Groom Mountains. Wilson probably just dropped by during a slow week. And regardless, we must bear in mind that Area 51's most sensitive programs are allegedly conducted below ground level.

Primarily because of the Popular Mechanics article, the whole world seems to have gotten the impression that there is nothing going on at Area 51, and that everything had moved to the Green River Missile Launch "complex" in Utah. One of the erroneous facts that Wilson mentioned in his article was that there was an "officially named Area 6413" in Utah. There is no "officially name Area 6413" in Utah. What he obviously meant to say was Restricted Air Space 6413 in Utah. However, it is my understanding that to this date, anyone who wants to visit can get a good, close look at the Green River Missile Launch "complex" -- unlike Area 51, where the military continues its attempts to annex more land in order to push back the "NO TRESPASSING" boundary. For that reason, I highly doubt that there is anything top-secret going on at RAS 6413. The new "non-lethal" weapons programs at Dugway Proving Grounds in Utah interest me much more than the Green River Missile Launch complex. We should keep a closer watch on these "non-lethal" programs as well as the new "bacteriological warfare programs" going on at Dugway, instead of wasting time chasing windmills at the Green River complex.

It is worth noting that Wilson's Popular Mechanics stands in drastic contrast with the more substantial article that coincidentally appeared one month prior, in the May 1997 issue ofPopular Science. The article makes several mentions of Area 51, the inference being that there was still plenty going on at Groom Lake. According to reports from the Monitoring Times and other publications, some of the ongoing programs at Area 51 include a new series of B-2 bomber by Northrop/Grumman at S-2, possible newer versions of Darkstar (Tier 3 -- UAV) by Lockheed at S-4 and Tier 2+ and Tier 3+ UAVs at S-9 by Teledyne Ryan Aero.

Furthermore, following the Popular Mechanics article in June 1997, I was informed that some new components of new, small-scale VOTL produced by Lockheed had just been transferred to Groom from Air Force Plant 42 in Palmdale, California. There is no doubt that new generations of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs -- remote controlled surveillance platforms, some of which may be oval shaped, etc.) are being tested at Groom Lake. New "skins" for a new generation of stealth programs are being tested as well, as noted by the May 1997 issue of Popular Science.

A new generation of "electrochromic panels" are probably being tested at the facility as well. A move towards "daytime" stealth capability (such as through the use of special sensors for transmission of image reflections of the background environment on the lower as well as upper bodies of the aircraft) may also be in the works at Area 51. I would not be surprised at all if they were working on even more exotic weapons programs, such as limited tri-dimensional holographic image maximization that could be integrated with the "electrochromic panels" and used not merely to reflect background environment on the aircraft to bring about "transparency effect," but to bring about some distorted image size of the aircraft as well.

All this, in addition to several new black, triangular aircraft (such as the alleged TR-3A Black Manta) that they may be working on, underscores the point that while there may indeed be some new programs going on in Utah and elsewhere, the allegations that Area 51 "moved" to Utah are totally unfounded.

[Brett66]

Fascinating article, thanks.

[bonesmccoy]

Vannrox... looks like the story has been debunked by the Public Affairs Office at White Sands.

http://www.wsmr.army.mil/paopage/Pages/rang3.htm

Popular Mechanics article on Area 51 commentary
by Jim Eckles

If you haven't seen the June (1997) issue of Popular Mechanics magazine, you are missing a fantastic example of voodoo journalism. The cover story involves White Sands Missile Range and is a real hoot.

The story is about "Area 51" and Groom Lake in Nevada. Area 51 is supposed to be a top secret facility where the Air Force supposedly tests new technology like stealth aircraft. It is also where the United States is rumored to keep space aliens and where scientists try to copy their technology.

The author, Jim Wilson, claims Area 51 is shutting down and the Air Force is moving out. He says the researchers are not abandoning their work, hoever. They are just moving to a new, secret location.

He claims the new version of Area 51 will be located in Utah at a place he calls "Area 6413." It is better known as the White Sands Green River Launch Complex.

He says the Air Force will test launch its version of the X-33 from WSMR's Green River facility and the vehicle will land at an airfield at Dugway Proving Ground.

Why use Green River? Wilson says our launch complex there has many advantages. He states the place is a perfect area for hiding test operations, that there is already an infrastructure in place and it is the right distance from the airfield at Dugway. He even says that the work we did there during the past few years to see about possibly firing target missiles from there back to White Sands was just a smoke screen for this move.

I suppose the majority of Popular Mechanics readers have no reason to doubt Wilson's article. We, at White Sands, know better though.

For starters, the launch complex covers only six square miles and Interstate 70 runs through the northern half of it. Most of the buildings are visible less than a mile or so from the highway and the gate to the place is just over a mile from the town of Green River. Not exactly a secret place.

Wilson says the Air Force will launch the military X-33 vehicle from this launch complex to Dugway which is to the northwest. In Wilson's scenario he totally fails to take into account any safety requirements. Personally, I think such a launch would require roadblocks on Interstate 70 and the evacuation of the town of Green River. Somehow, that doesn't sound like a way to hide a secret program.

Another problem with Wilson's story is his idea that there is an infrastructure already in place. There are a few moldering buildings and deteriorating roads on site but there is nothing to build on. If you were going to set up a real launch facility there, your best bet would be to bulldoze everything and start over. It would be cheaper.

Somehow Popular Mechanics has gotten away from those old articles on how to change your car's timing belt or how to build your own patio deck. This story reads almost like something out of the National Enquirer. Heaven help us.

[bonesmccoy]

You are welcome... here's the story from White Sands point of view.

by the way...that story about Area 51 moving appears to be from a 1997 Pop Mechanics story.

The story is debunked by another writer at this website
http://www.wsmr.army.mil/paopage/Pages/rang3.htm

now, admittedly, the site is run by the US Army.
http://www.wsmr.army.mil/paopage/Pages/rang3.htm

For some really cool videos of a real program... check out the THAAD link of a theatre based missile defense system.
http://www.wsmr.army.mil/videos/wsmr/ArmyVideos.htm