Area 51 is frequently mystified in popular movies, stories, alien investigations, and sometimes, even the media. If the US really wanted to keep this a secret, why would they allow the media to mystify it so much. Is there any evidence to support that Area 51 is not a huge secret in itself, but, rather serves as a cover-up for secret operations taking place elsewhere?
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The following answer is from "Expert Opinion" as a USAF Pilot, acquisition officer, and all around guy in the know. ;) I will endeavour to dig up actual links and such to support this. Bear with me before up or down voting.
Well, there is sort of a partial truth in that. Groom Lake has indeed been a classified location for a very long time. The US Air Force has developed, tested, and based aircraft such as the F-117 and even the U-2. These aircraft were designed to totally defeat anyone's air defenses, and in essence allow the USAF to violate sovereign airspace with impunity. Of course they didn't want anyone to know about this capability. (While it is Wikipedia, they actually have a pretty thorough article on Groom Lake.)
The reason the USAF doesn't talk about it at all is because no matter what they say, crackpots will believe what they will. Also, the less communication, the less of a chance that there will be an inadvertent release of sensitive information (after all, the F-117 was almost a total mystery until Operation JUST CAUSE).
On Nov. 10, 1988, the Air Force revealed the F-117 Nighthawk stealth fighter to the public for the first time.
The first F-117A was delivered in 1982,
Note the years. Having a remote base like Groom Lake allows for that (as well as other extraordinary security measures).
As for the physical location, it is well known, and before the government took control of "Freedom Ridge" people could even photograph parts of it. Also, you can request information from the DoD as long as it isn't classified. It exists, and again, for what the USAF is doing, the Wikipedia article is generally accurate.
That is not to say that there aren't projects going on there that no one really knows about. We may be developing some sort of micro-UAV, or a high flying persistent ISR platform, UCAV, or whatever. What one can say with confidence is that there are no "mystical" or extra-terrestrial artifacts there. The evidence against those items are supported by the whole of science.
And keep in mind, any government project is most likely not limited to just one location. There will be things that can only be tested at other places (like the McKinley Climatic Hangar). And some basic science may come from AFRL in Kirtland, Wright-Patt, or wherever. Any DoD program will by definition involve a much larger operation.
Larian LeQuella
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4Your "expert opinion" seems quite thurough. :) – JasonR Apr 15 '11 at 13:15
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3How can you say with confidence there are no extraterrestrial artifacts or remains there? Science does not preclude the possibility and if there was a cover up, the scientific community would not have had access to them. Not saying I think it is likely just saying you can't say with certainty. – Jan 22 '12 at 13:31
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4@JohnSteeley I can say with quite a degree of certainty that there are no extraterrestrial artifacts at Area 51, or anywhere else on this planet because of the overwhelming LACK of evidence that has historically played out every single time that canard has been brought up. EVERY SINGLE TIME. Also, the physics of interstellar travel preclude many scenarios that are popularized amongst the uneducated public and media. I think anyone should be able to say with confidence that "extraterrestrial" artifact believers are either crackpots, or simply deluded. – Larian LeQuella Jan 22 '12 at 16:34
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2@Larian-I'm not claiming that we've been visited by extraterrestrials, but I am skeptical of your premise that physics precludes many scenarios. Just because it is the best of our knowledge for now, doesn't mean it is the definitive knowledge. For example, scientists believe they have found particles which travel faster than the speed of light. See here: http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2011/sep/22/faster-than-light-particles-neutrinos . If proven correct, it will dramatically change physics. Just because humans haven't figured out how to do something doesn't preclude some other species. – Dunk Jan 23 '12 at 22:21
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3@dunk sadly, the "faster than light" neutrinos is bad reporting, and journalistic sensationalism more-so than a rework of physics. I'm just saying that should we ever get evidence of a visit, it won't come from a crop circle, dissected cow, or Betty Hill. At this time, I can definitively say that no extraterrestrials have visited our planet. And if they do come, all of humanity will know. – Larian LeQuella Jan 24 '12 at 00:11
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@Lar I do not think claiming that extraterrestrials have definitely not visited earth is a very skeptical approach. Unlikely and requiring substantial evidence, sure. To say that ETs have definitely not visited earth is almost as bad as saying a U.F.O crashed in Roswell. As Dunk pointed out our knowledge is rather incomplete at this stage. If the claims of a coverup are correct, then the scientific community would not have access to artifacts in order to verify them. It then becomes an issue of trying to prove a negative. Which should not equate to saying ETs have definitely not visited earth. – Jan 24 '12 at 05:53
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4@JohnSteeley the complete, total, and utter lack of evidence in all possible ways allows for that degree of certainty (for now). However, should _any_ evidence become known, I will be forced to change my mind. To think that there is some sort of massive cover up does not follow either. Too many people that would have to keep their mouths shut. Aliens visiting have as much evidence as invisible flying space pickles... – Larian LeQuella Jan 25 '12 at 01:16
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@Larian-I understand what you are saying, but just trying to get you to keep an open mind. Do you know how life started on earth? Is it possible that a visit from some extra-terrestrial planted the seeds of life? If you think not then how do you know with such certainty? If chemicals are naturally attracted to others in order to spontaneously create life then why can't scientists recreate this process. It seems plausible that life may have originated from somewhere else, thereby being extraterrestrial itself. If this is the case then we have in fact been visited by extraterrestrials. – Dunk Jan 31 '12 at 22:23
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3@Dunk those speculations are well beyond the scope of the question that was asked. :) Perhaps some day we can hang out in chat and talk about abiogenesis, panspermia, and those totally different subjects. – Larian LeQuella Feb 01 '12 at 01:01
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2A friend once put the whole Area 51 deal in a really nice way: "It's a commercial secret". Those words hold true as we all know Area 51 is real, we know what it develops is military equipment (tho not EXACTLY what), and we know they like to keep themselves isolated. For any Alien claim, it's hard to believe it would be kept secret for long. Either someone would not have managed to shut up, or they would "leak it for the hell of it". Point is, it would be really hard to keep something so significant secret for a prolonged time. – Sharain Dec 08 '14 at 13:08