UFO or not UFO? Area 51 declassifying pours cold water on theory

thetechherald ^ | Apr 12 2009 | Rich Bowden

[JoeProBono]

A former engineer at the top secret airfield "Area 51" in Nevada has spoken out about UFO sightings in the region in the 1960s, saying the witnessed flashes of light were part of top secret US aircraft experiments.

In an interview with ABC News, Thornton "T.D." Barnes, 72, a former special-projects engineer at Area 51 said: "No one really knew we existed. Even our wives didn't know where we were going when we left Monday morning and came back Friday evening."

Barnes was an electronics engineer for NASA who also specialised in advance radar and Soviet MiG fighter aircraft and was asked to join a team of CIA experts who would work on secret military projects at the infamous base.

UFO folklore has it that Area 51, about 80 miles north northwest of Las Vegas, is where captured aliens and their spacecraft have been stored by the US military. The conspiracy theory comes in part because of the preponderance of strange, unaccounted for lights that have been seen in the region of the top secret military base.

However Barnes poured cold water on the theory saying the "alien spaceships" were in fact light flashes from top secret spy planes being flown at 2,000 miles per hour at altitudes of 90,000 feet.

[Quix]

Are you saying you believe they are real craft vs CGI?

If so, your basis for your convictions?

[Sundog]

I have not seen one of them, if that is the nucleus of the question. I am thinking there is a phenomenon which makes them possible.

Superconducting Levitation Produced by a University inTaiwan

I have seen a small UFO in the High Uinta mountains of Utah. Little silver thing, not a mylar balloon, gracefully flew over our campsite and maintained an intelligent course right up the mountain side, 5 minutes of viewing.

I may do a brief search for threads on Free Republic from the time when those pictures were new. I'll post a link or two, if I find them.

[Quix]

Interesting.

Thanks.

You may be aware LMH at her

http://www.earthfiles.com

has a number of photos and stories on the craft.

I don’t know but most may well be behind her subscriber wall by now.

They only are in the public section for about 90 days.

What was the size of the orb/craft you saw in your best estimation and what was your closest distance to it?

[Sundog]

There seems to be a pageful of UFO threads per month, so that would be 25 pages to dig through, no luck finding it. Freeper Null and void was the originator of at least one of the threads specific to that particular UFO. Tried your link, and Capitola is a subscription page now.

Another hiker and I were in the High Uintas, Christmas Meadows, setting up camp in an early October evening 1981, when this came within 20 feet of us and turned to pass over the lake we were adjacent to, Ryder Lake. I told Rick to sit down and watch the thing, we did. It hovered over the lake, then over McPheter’s Lake east of us, then ascended the side of Hyden peak to about 11,000 ft. It was probably a mile away when we lost view. Still sunlight when we saw it, no other hikers / campers in the basin. It was intelligent in that it defied the wind and kept a constant vertical distance over the terrain as it traveled. It was not blowing along the mountain side, it was traveling up it.

Told this story to an Uncle, and he related to me a very similar one he experienced near Bremerton, Washington when he was working as a lineman. He saw a larger saucer release several smaller ones (2 ft diameter) which touched lines near him, flew about the terrain, and returned to the main craft which departed afterwards.

[Quix]

Fascinating.

Thanks for your report.

I don’t have a listing of UFO threads . . . Guess that would have possibly been useful when I started hereon with it all not that long after FR’s beginning.

Back then, it was a hazardous topic—seen as trying to destroy FR by bringing discredit to it by such a ‘silly’ tinfoil hat topic. Sigh.

I hope null and void can help you out.

Much appreciate your report of your experience.

Was the orb silvery the entire time or ever opalescent?

[Sundog]

Fox News Report on the Capitola UFO

Found this report. Watch the mutations this thing goes through in subsequent photographs.

The one I saw remained silvery, never opalescent, and close to spherical in shape. It had no markings or features, it just came toward us, turned, went over the lakes and up the mountain, low and slow.

[jas3]

This “UFO” is from the TV series: The Sarah Connor Chronicles.

[Quix]

THANKS.

INTERESTING.

shower time.

[Sundog]

Thanks.

G’nite.

[Quix]

IIRC

the different ‘craft’ were shot by different folks in different locations—some many states distant.

Have a good rest and week yourself.

Blessings,

[Sundog]

What do you make of this?

UPDATE 12/24/08: The prosecution would appear to have been wrong! I’ve been in communication with Josh Friedman, the Executive Producer and creator of Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles and it would seem that the mysteries of the California Drones will continue to be a mystery for the time being. Josh wrote the following to me:

Bruce–

The drone/CARET materials are not viral marketing for our show. Fox knows nothing about them. I’ve been interested in the drone images for some time and, as I am wont to do, found a way to work areas of interest into the show. Our drone image at the end is a kissing cousin of the others but is of our own design. I don’t want anyone out there who chooses to believe in the drone sightings to feel in any way that their inclusion in TSCC invalidates their point of view. Likewise, any one who believes they are a hoax should not use their inclusion in the show as confirmation of that theory. Simply something in the zeitgeist that I was (and still am) fascinated by. Whether this settles the issue or only serves to incite others who want to use it for their own ends is beyond my control.
Josh Friedman
Executive Producer, Creator, TSCC

http://screenrant.com/sarah-connor-chronicles-california-drones-mystery-brusimm-4647/

G’nite again.

[tlb]

Here is a satellite view of what lies beyond the “Restricted” signs. They could use some flower beds.

http://i28.tinypic.com/if4d35.jpg

btw, just because there are no little green men and their saucers, doesn’t mean we aren’t flying into space from such sites. I’ve posted this link before about an operational space plane. Supposedly this particular project is retired now, which only indicates that we have another version operational or in late development.

Two-Stage-to-Orbit ‘’Blackstar’’ System Shelved at Groom Lake

http://www.aviationweek.com/aw/generic/story_generic.jsp?channel=awst&id=news/030606p1.xml

[JoeProBono]

Two-Stage-to-Orbit ‘’Blackstar’’ System Shelved at Groom Lake

http://www.aviationweek.com/aw/generic/story_generic.jsp?channel=awst&id=news/030606p1.xml

[Quix]

THANKS.

[SunkenCiv]

UFO mystery solved according to Area 51 workers
Examiner | April 7, | Michael Salla, Ph.D.
Posted on 04/07/2009 8:01:57 AM PDT by JoeProBono
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2224087/posts