In the barren Nevada desert there is a dusty road that leads to the front gate of Area 51. It is protected merely by intimidating trespassing signs and a fence. One would think that America’s most top secret military facility would be more protected, but make no mistake, they are watching.

 Area 51 is a highly mythic military base where nobody knows what happens behind the gates. Tales of what exactly goes on beyond the gates has led to speculation. One of the biggest reasons people are unaware of what happens there is because of the high tech security system. Many have tried to sneak into the base but are stopped miles before getting a glimpse of the facility. People are stopped by men in white trucks that patrol the facility commonly referred to as the “camo guys.” Locals say that there are motion detectors, thousands of cameras, and even snipers that will shoot anyone that passes the boundary. The secrecy of the base has allowed for many conspiracy theories to arise about the facility.

 The most common theory about Area 51 is that it contains aliens. This belief became prevalent with multiple reports of flashing lights in the sky that are too high for planes to fly. Multiple movies such as Area 51 and Alien 3 have been created based of the popularity of this theory. Lincoln County locals have used the novelty of Area 51 to their advantage by making multiple alien themed restaurants among  other attractions to bring in revenue from tourists and believers. While the alien belief may not be held by everyone, most people consider it a possibility because the government did not confirm the base’s existence until 2013, decades after it gained recognition.

 Another theory people believe is that Area 51 is an air force test facility. Some think this because after World War II the need for more high-tech military defenses became more prevalent. In November 1954, President Eisenhower approved the development of a secret high-altitude aircraft called the U-2 Program. After the testing began in 1955, unidentified flying object reports started coming in.  This led to the belief that there are aliens and other supernatural creatures in the area.

 With all of the evidence of Area 51 being a normal, top-secret military base, people still believe that the base has something to do with extraterrestrial activity. Some even believe the base is the location where they filmed the “fake” moon landing. “I don’t believe that Area 51 holds aliens. Although it is super suspicious, I think we would have known by now if the government was hiding aliens,” said IB Theory of Knowledge teacher and believer of the extraterrestrial, Mrs. Genesky. If you want to discover the answer to the mystery yourself, consider taking drive down the Extraterrestrial Highway in Nevada, and you could possibly discover what really happens at Area 51.