Area 51

Area 51 in the National Security Context

A definition and brief description of Area 51 in relation to national security is as follows:The popular name of a secret military facility at Groom Lake, Nevada, approximately ninety miles north of Las Vegas. The six-by-ten mile rectangular air base lies within the Switzerland-sized boundaries of Nellis Air Force Base, and has served as a testing ground for black budget  (top-secret) military prototype aircraft since the mid-1950s. Area 51 is also a well-known folk symbol of an alleged, but scientifically improbable, government conspiracy to cover up information on UFOs and extraterrestrial life.