Quoted: The airstrip at Groom Lake is the LONGEST in the entire world. Of couse they are sill using it. What for? My guess: a two stage orbtal recon system consisting of a high speed carrier aircraft and a small, possibly unmanned, vehicle capable of extra-atmospheric operations.

Richard Branson beat them to it...

Area 51 is just a cover.

Look at the MOA for the southwest, it's not hard to figure out where the real "shit" happens.

Quoted: Quoted: The airstrip at Groom Lake is the LONGEST in the entire world. Of couse they are sill using it. What for? My guess: a two stage orbtal recon system consisting of a high speed carrier aircraft and a small, possibly unmanned, vehicle capable of extra-atmospheric operations. Richard Branson beat them to it...

BS.

All Richard Branson did was buy ad space on the side of Spaceship One.

Edit:  The pics are hosted on the photo server, and I don't have an alternate site with a bunch of bandwidth

Quoted: Quoted: Is there more there than just an air base? www.dbijen.dds.nl/jokes/area.51.jpg They did an autopsy on Tinky-Winky the Teletubbie at Area 51? SG

Pfft, everyone knows that's Po!

Quoted: Yes, it's true.  The Air Force has been doing ballistic testing on Teletubbies. HOWEVER, Area 51 is just a decoy to keep people from discovering Area 52.

I thought it was Area 51b. (Simpsons)

I have pictures but I could get a call from the DOD if I showed them lol.  

They brought out the black hawk on my ass at night.

Quoted: I've heard they will not hesistate to make someone get out their vehicle and question them (and being EG&G security, I would NOT want to fuck with them!).

+1

Out west of my hometown is a large environmental and engineering laboratory facility. Some of you may be familiar with said place.  Lots of my friends' parents were "just scientists who work for the government," and many more were subcontractors for various needs.  Much nuclear and other DOE research, and wherever nuclear installations are located you'll also find response teams.  A friend's mother was on one such SRT.  She was the nicest lady you'd ever meet, but that one target she had hanging on the wall at home spoke volumes.  EG&G had the contract for years, but now it's Lockheed-Martin (IIRC), and they are also pretty serious about security.

Of course, it's all just energy and environmental research so the only reason to guard so heavily is to prevent baddies from getting the spent fuel stored there...