The mystery, rumors, and conspiracy theories circling Area 51 have inspired numerous filmmakers, especially American ones.
References, parodies, and artistic depictions of the place can be found in decades of cinematic history. “Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull”, “The Signal”, and “Escape From Planet Earth” are just a drop in the bucked of Area 51 films.
Fences — Out, Signs — In
You would think that a place with such an aura of national security would be a little more... well, secure.
As it turns out, Area 51 doesn't have any walls or security fences around its perimeter. There are plenty of signs warning you not to go any further or take any pictures, but that's about it.
The Absurdity
Just for the sake of covering the subject of conspiracy theories, here are a few of the most absurd ones we've heard about Area 51.
While you probably won't find any reptilian overlords here, some people believe that this is where the government studies alien spacecraft, controls the weather control, and develops time travel. We doubt any of it is true but we would love to hear more just to be humored.
Flying Under the Radar
Back in the 1950s, when Area 51 served as a home for the Lockheed program, the crew that worked on it had to be regularly flown in and out of the perimeter. Those many flights were problematic in terms of secrecy.
They then developed a stealthy flight schedule to keep them from being noticed: the crew flew into the facility on early Mondays and left it late on Fridays. The general assumption was that people are generally too busy with weekend plans to notice suspicious flights happening overhead. Do you not look up on weekends?
The Makeover
1959's Project OXCART met different conditions than it's predecessor, the Lockheed A-12. Among other things, the OXCART was meant to test the Lockheed A-12 aircraft and train with it. It was made possible thanks to a new and improved 8,500-foot runway.
Before this new runway was introduced, the base had runways that were unpaved and thousands of feet shorter. Talk about an extreme makeover!