How AREA 51 hides its secrets from the world

 00:00:00 - 00:20:00In the YouTube video "How AREA 51 hides its secrets from the world," the speaker discusses the history of the highly classified military facility, Area 51, and its attempts to conceal its secrets from the Soviet Union during the Cold War. Established in 1949 in response to Soviet nuclear testing, Area 51 became the site for testing groundbreaking aircraft like the U2 spy plane and SR71 Blackbird. To test these advanced gadgets, a secret base called Paradise Ranch was built in the Nevada desert, complete with a 5,000 ft runway and temporary shelters. However, the threat of Soviet spy satellites revealed the need for obfuscation tactics. Personnel used methods such as clearing the flight line and hiding aircraft with simple structures called Hootenannie Sheds when given late warning of an inbound satellite. They also used decoy aircraft made of cardboard and other materials to confuse satellite imagery. Despite some accidental revelations, such as images captured by NASA astronauts in the 1970s, ongoing construction and the use of makeshift structures to obscure aircraft continue to this day as the US continues to develop and test new stealth aircraft and drones. The video also promotes Ground News, an aggregator that helps users navigate media bias while staying informed.See more00:00:00 In this section of the YouTube video titled "How AREA 51 hides its secrets from the world," the speaker discusses the remote and highly classified military facility, Area 51, which has been the subject of modern folklore since the late 1950s. Despite its remote location and difficult terrain, Area 51's secrets are not safe from spy satellites in low earth orbit. The speaker then goes on to explain how Area 51 personnel use both low-tech and genius methods to fool these satellites. The video also promotes Ground News, an aggregator that collects stories from various news outlets and provides a bias distribution metric to help users stay informed while navigating media bias. The speaker shares an example of the heroic actions of F-16 pilot Mark Sasville on September 11, 2001, and how Ground News can help users find stories that are getting a lot of traction in one political sphere but not the other. Area 51, also known as Homestead Air Force Base or Groom Lake, is a classified military facility located 80 miles north of Las Vegas. It has seen the testing of some of the most groundbreaking aircraft ever to see service, including the U2 spy plane, SR71 Blackbird, and F17 Nighthawk. Access to the facility is limited, and the only way to get there is by flying in from the Hayden International Airport in Las Vegas aboard one of their specially cruded Boeing 737s or Beechcraft.00:05:00 In this section of the YouTube video titled "How AREA 51 hides its secrets from the world," the speaker discusses the history of Area 51 and its efforts to conceal its secrets from the Soviet Union during the Cold War. The base was established in 1949 in response to the Soviet Union's first nuclear test, which sent American intelligence into high alert. To develop a new spy plane capable of flying above Soviet air defenses, Lockheed's Kelly Johnson proposed the U2 aircraft with expansive wings that could cruise at altitudes above 70,000 feet. In April 1955, a team, including senior CIA officer Richard Bissell, Air Force Colonel Osman Ritland, and test pilot Tony LeVier, searched for a remote location to test the U2. They discovered an abandoned airstrip in the Nevada desert, which later proved to be a fortunate find. However, the Soviet Union's launch of Zenit spy satellites in the early 1960s threatened to reveal Area 51's secrets, leading to the need for obfuscation tactics to hide the base's activities from prying eyes in the sky.00:10:00 In this section of the YouTube video titled "How AREA 51 hides its secrets from the world," the construction of the secret base, known as Paradise Ranch, is detailed. In the late 1950s, a group of aviation and defense officials died in a remote crash, and the desolate Salt Flats were chosen as the ideal location to test the United States' classified new spy plane. Over the next three months, a 5,000 ft paved runway and temporary shelters were built. However, the facilities were insufficient for testing the groundbreaking new technology, and in 1960, when a U2 spy plane was shot down over the Soviet Union, funding was approved to expand Area 51. A new 8,500 ft runway was constructed, along with three surplus Navy hangars, over 100 housing buildings, and a 1.32 million gallon fuel tank farm. The expanded facility was large enough to test advanced gadgets, but the days of hiding in the open were numbered as the Soviet Union launched its first successful spy satellite in 1962, and the US began using U2 spy planes and Corona spy satellites to take pictures of Area 51 to gather information on what the Soviets might be learning from their satellite reconnaissance.00:15:00 In this section of the YouTube video titled "How AREA 51 hides its secrets from the world," the speaker discusses how Area 51 personnel dealt with the challenge of Soviet spy satellites monitoring their activities. Satellites have predictable orbits and limited fuel, making it difficult to change course for a better look at something without reducing operational lifespan. Soviet spy satellites were known to have specific schedules, allowing Area 51 to prepare by clearing the flight line and hiding aircraft. However, when given late warning of an inbound satellite, they improvised by building simple structures called Hootenannie Sheds to quickly hide aircraft. The Soviet Union continued to improve their spy satellites with infrared sensors, making it difficult for Area 51 to hide the infrared shadows of their aircraft on the flight line. To counter this, personnel used arts and crafts to create cardboard silhouettes of exotic-looking aircraft and left portable heaters running to make them appear more realistic.00:20:00 In this section of the YouTube video titled "How AREA 51 hides its secrets from the world," the speaker discusses various methods used by the US military to conceal the existence and activities at the secretive Area 51 installation. This includes the use of decoy aircraft made of cardboard and other materials, as well as efforts to prevent satellite imagery from revealing the base's secrets. The speaker recounts how NASA astronauts accidentally captured images of Area 51 in the 1970s, leading to increased scrutiny and the construction of larger hangars to shield aircraft from prying eyes. Despite the base's acknowledgment by the federal government in 2013, ongoing construction and the use of makeshift structures to obscure aircraft continue to this day, as the US continues to develop and test new stealth aircraft and drones.