Wednesday, December 14, 2016

Area 51 by Kaitlyn Benacquisto


Image result for pic of area 51

What do you get when you combine rumors of extraterrestrial beings, UFO’s, and time

travel? The government’s ‘worst-kept secret’: Area 51. Area 51 is a government run military

base located in Nevada. The government has been trying to keep the existence of Area 51, which

is used to test government weapons and aircrafts, under wraps amidst claims of UFO sightings

and even the presence of futuristic alien technology. Conspiracy theories have arose regarding

UFO sightings, extraterrestrial machinery, alien life, and the advancement of energy weapons.


Let’s examine the theory of UFO’s and extraterrestrial machinery at Area 51.

Character Analysis

Robert Scott Lazar, better known as simply “Bob” Lazar, is one of the key forces who pushes the Area 51 conspiracy theory. Bob Lazar claimed to have worked at S-4, south of Area 51, and has made claims regarding the existence of extraterrestrial life and technology within its grounds. His claims have been pushed aside, after many things he said about his own background and past haven’t lined up. There are arguments about the truth of his stories. Is Bob Lazar a liar or is he telling the truth about his work at Area 51?

Lazar’s past is controversial, clouded with claims he has made that have little to no evidence to back them up. Once the ex-worker of the Nellis Air Force Base went public with his accusations on Las Vegas television, his background was investigated (Rivenburg). Lazar reportedly has attended Massachusetts Institute of Technology and California Technical Institute, worked for Los Alamos National Laboratories, and as a scientist at Area 51 (Rivenburg). On a live television interview with Las Vegas Now News, Lazar shared his story regarding S-4, Area 51, and alien technology with the world. Apparently at the S-4 base, which is built into the mountainside, he was working on nine different flying saucers (Knapp). He claimed that the technology was too advanced to be from this world, and his assignment was to take apart the flying saucers to learn more about how they operated (1). When he made his claims regarding extraterrestrial life and Area 51, any evidence of what should exist from his college degrees reportedly vanished, or was never there to begin with. The government also denies that Lazar ever worked for them at Area 51 (1). This external conflict that blossoms from the lack of evidence makes Lazar’s story regarding flying saucers significantly less believable. Although, one of Lazar’s coworkers, who remains unnamed, verified that he did in fact work as a physicist at Los Alamos as he had stated (Rojas).

Amidst internal conflict aroused by jabs declaring that he is a liar and in it for the fame and money, the alleged ex-Area 51 employee seems more interested in the learning advancements and research of extraterrestrial technology and life. In an interview done twenty five years after Lazar first told his story, he said, “Sometimes I really do regret it, and I almost feel like apologizing to them, saying, I'm sorry. Can I have my job back?” In fact, Lazar and friend Gene Huff run an event called Desert Blast every year, which is “a secret annual gathering of pyrotechnics enthusiasts and a private fireworks party that in some ways resembles a July 4th picnic” (Brown). Some objects that make frequent appearances at the Desert Blast gathering include Lazar’s very own jet car, a water cooled argon laser, a ramjet go-kart, and many fireworks (1). The average attendance for the event is about 150 people (1). Desert Blast proves Lazar’s drive to further technology and the knowledge and advancements regarding it. Lazar also began and continues to run a company called United Nuclear Scientific Equipment and Supplies. The supply store sells anything from radioactive ore, jet engines, crystal radios, and plasma lighters, to glow in the dark paint, according to its website at www.unitednuclear.com (“United Nuclear Scientific Equipment and Supplies”).

Despite the questionable claims Lazar has made, his passion and commitment towards scientific research makes one wonder if his far fetched story is really that far fetched. It is questionable why one would be motivated to create a lie based upon the very thing that they put their life’s work into. By continuing to triumph through his internal struggles of others, such as calling him a liar and questioning what he has claimed to be his past through his continuation in the scientific field, whether it be in the Desert Blast event or his supply store, Lazar has made his story substantially more believable. On the other hand, Lazar has made his story substantially less believable by making claims that have practically no evidence or support behind them, which is his external conflict. What one decides to ultimately believe about Lazar and his claims is based on speculation, in a situation where there are few cold, hard facts.

Conspiracy Descriptions (Main Idea and Details with Survey Results)

There are many conspiracies surrounding Area 51. Three are highlighted in this instance, two of which involve the presence of something extraterrestrial, while the other regards energy weapons.

The first conspiracy suggests Area 51 houses extraterrestrial space crafts. Bob Lazar claims he saw an extraterrestrial craft while working there, which he knew was extraterrestrial because of its extreme technological advances (Broden). He saw this while he was employed at S-4 (1). Lazar claims, I am exactly sure of what I saw. I know what mainstream science is like, I know where physics stands—I know all of that—and this is an extraterrestrial craft, this technology is hundreds and hundreds of years in advance of us, and that's the end of that story” (1).  There are also reported eyewitness accounts from several locals who claim that they have seen UFO-like lights repeatedly over the base (Gray).
Image result for pic of area 51

The second conspiracy theory regards Area 51 as a collaboration site for the government and extraterrestrial beings. This is backed up by the preexisting theory that extraterrestrial technology must exist at Area 51, and furthered by rumors of alien “material” being stored at Area 51 (Gray). There was a crash in Roswell, New Mexico, from which a spacecraft and other evidence of aliens was recovered and brought for storage and examination to Area 51 (1).

The final conspiracy involves Area 51 as a site for the advancement and creation of energy weapons. This is a more plausible scenario for those weary at the possibility of alien life. Investigative journalist Annie Jacobsen revealed that the Armed Forces Special Weapon Project has performed tests involving nuclear bombs at Area 51 (Jacobsen). Area 51 would be an ideal place for a government looking to perform a test they didn’t want anyone to know about; it is a recluse location in the desert, 83 miles north of Las Vegas (Gray). It is bordered by the southern section of Groom Lake (1).

The most plausible theory is that there are extraterrestrial crafts being kept at Area 51. Lazar, a man with background in science and technology, would know if an aircraft was capable of being made with the technology on Earth (Rojas). However, he claimed that there was no way the technology he saw was from this world (Broden). This, along with evidence of the recovery of a spacecraft from a crash in Roswell, New Mexico, is enough to validate the theory that there are extraterrestrial crafts at Area 51 (Gray). If Area 51 is used merely for the government to work on their weapons, they would not keep so much information hidden regarding the base (“Area 51, U-2, and the Accidental Test Flight”).

Twelve out of twenty people believe there is extraterrestrial technology at Area 51. Chris Mellon, an ex-Area 51 employee, is now on the board of the UFODATA project, a program that “seeks to create a systematic, rigorous science of UFO phenomena” (Austin). This information leads one to believe that there must be some connection between extraterrestrial crafts and Area 51. If UFO’s were to exist, Area 51 would be a perfect place to store and research them.

The truth about Area 51 remains shrouded in mystery. Perhaps time will reveal the truth.

Conclusion

When you combine extraterrestrial beings, UFO’s, and energy weapons, you get a seemingly unsolvable puzzle. This puzzle is Area 51. Area 51 has sprouted three conspiracy theories:

1.      Area 51 is used to store extraterrestrial aircrafts.

2.      Area 51 is a collaboration site between aliens and the government.

3.      Area 51 is used to test government energy weapons.

              This is a situation in which it is hard to know the truth. However, the most believable theory is that Area 51 is used to store extraterrestrial aircrafts.

  

Works Cited

"Area 51, U-2 and the Accidental Test Flight." Central Intelligence Agency. Central Intelligence Agency, 06 Aug. 2015. Web. 28 Nov. 2016.

Austin, Jon. "Area 51 Secret Project Insider Reveals TRUTH of 'UFO Cover Up' Clinton Aims to Expose." Express.co.uk. N.p., 12 May 2016. Web. 28 Nov. 2016.

Broden, L. "The Bob Lazar Story." The Bob Lazar Story - UFO Evidence. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Nov. 2016.

Brown, Stuart F. "Desert Blast!" Desert Blast! N.p., Apr. 1996. Web. 30 Oct. 2016.

Gray, Richard. "Area 51 Exists and There Were Strange Goings on Admit CIA." The Telegraph. Telegraph Media Group, 16 Aug. 2013. Web. 25 Nov. 2016.

Jacobsen, Annie. "America's Secret Nuclear Test." The Daily Beast. Newsweek/Daily Beast, 12 May 2011. Web. 27 Nov. 2016.

Knapp, George. "I-Team: 25 Years Later: Man Who Exposed Area 51." LASVEGASNOW. N.p.,

24 June 2015. Web. 30 Oct. 2016.

Rivenburg. "Unusually Fanatical Observers :." Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles Times, 06 May

1993. Web. 30 Oct. 2016

Rojas, Alejandro. "Physicist Claims Bob Lazar Did Work at Los Alamos." Open Minds. N.p., 30

cJune 2015. Web. 30 Oct. 2016.

United Nuclear Scientific Equipment and Supplies”. N.p., n.d. Web. 31 Oct. 2016.


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