More on the Area 51 conspiracy
“Ever since, conspiracy theorists have been hard at work trying to prove the wreckage was extraterrestrial, with one man, Ray Santilli, going so far as to release a video in 1995 of an alien ‘dissection’ purported to have taken place after the incident,” according to History.com.
Santilli confessed in 2006 that it was a staged film, but said it was based on real footage.
The military sensationally announced in a press release it had found the remains of a crashed flying saucer in the desert.
But the following day it retracted the statement, saying it was in fact a damaged US Air Force air balloon.
Most UFO sightings are explainable
It’s thought over 90% of UFO sightings have a reasonable explanation.
However, the United States Office of Naval Intelligence now has a Unidentified Aerial Phenomena Task Force (UAPTF) program.
The agency investigated sightings of unidentified flying objects.
About the Area 51 conspiracy theory
The so-called Roswell incident is one of the most famous and controversial UFO theories in history.
History.com refers to the Roswell incident as the “mother of all UFO sightings.”
In July 1947, a rancher found “mysterious debris” and soldiers from a nearby base came to collect the materials for testing and analysis.
A local newspaper then reported on a “flying saucer” that supposedly went down in a New Mexico city.
UAP sightings, explained
UAP stands for “Unidentified Aerial Phenomena.”
The term is similar to UFO, and UAP is considered to be a more professional term to describe unidentified aircrafts.
Not all UAP refer to suspected “alien aircraft” sightings.
Why the secrecy around Area 51?
The base has been a testing ground for many top-secret aircraft, including the U-2 in the 1950s and later the B-2 stealth bomber.
Declassified documents say it was originally an area for the Army Air Corps pilots to practice their aerial gunnery.
During the Cold War, experimental aircraft, such as the high-altitude U-2 spy plane, and weapons systems were tested there.
The current use of Area 51 is still unknown and remains top secret.
The patch of fenced-off land, measuring six by ten miles, is tucked between a US Air Force base and an abandoned nuclear testing ground.
What UFO stands for
UFO stands for “Unidentified Flying Object.”
Not every mysterious flying object turns out to be a UFO.
However, experts have found that UFO reports are often ridiculed and not taken seriously.
