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Episode "Area 51 Declassified"

Published
  • SCREEN GRAB: Near Area 51, NV: An A-12 flying against a blue sky (archive).
  • AREA 51, Nevada: The titanium A-12 spy plane prototype is being prepared for mounting on the pylon for radar cross section tests, which were used to determine the visibility of the plane to enemy radar.
  • AREA 51, Nevada: The U-2 spy plane is being maintained at Area 51, which at the time was known as
  • AREA 51, Nevada: The titanium A-12 spy plane prototype is being prepared for mounting on the pylon for radar cross section tests, which were used to determine the visibility of the plane to enemy radar.
  • AREA 51, Nevada: Aerial of Area 51 in the mid-1960s. Workers then and now are flown in from Burbank and Vegas.
  • SCREEN GRAB: Area 51, Nevada: Ray Goudey reading while pre-breathing (archive).
  • AREA 51, Nevada: The A-12 chines under construction at the Burbank facility. The chines, that gave the aircraft its cobra-like appearance, added to the plane's low visibility to enemy radars.
  • Near Wendover, Utah: A piece of titanium, debris from a top secret spy plane, the A-12 OXCART, that crashed here in 1963. Historian Peter Merlin scans the area with a metal detector.
  • AREA 51, Nevada: The U-2 spy plane on the landing strip at Area 51.
  • The A-12 OXCART at Area 51. Over 90% of the plane's airframe was made of titanium.
  • The U-2 on the runway,signaled by a man in a checkered shirt(archive)
  • Reenactment: Pilot being interrogated by two CIA agents.
  • Near Area 51, Nevada: On the way to Area 51, on the so-called Extraterrestrial Highway. Around the top-secret government testing site, GPS information suddenly becomes unreliable in places. Roads disappear on the screen. Due to this strange phenomenon people have crossed the border to Area 51 unwittingly and were put in jail or deported.
  • Near Wendover, Utah: Historian Peter Merlin holding a piece of titanium debris from the crash of a top secret spy plane that originated at Area 51 called A-12 OXCART.
  • AREA 51, Nevada: The titanium A-12 spy plane prototype is being prepared for mounting on the pylon for radar cross section tests, which were used to determine the visibility of the plane to enemy radar.
  • SCREEN GRAB: Las Vegas, NV: Close-up on pilot's face.
  • Area 51, Nevada: Covered U-2 being rolled out of cargo bay (archive).
  • AREA 51, Nevada: The titanium A-12 spy plane prototype is being prepared for mounting on the pylon for radar cross section tests at Area 51, which were used to determine the visibility of the plane to enemy radar.
  • AREA 51, Nevada: The A-12 spy plane in flight.
  • AREA 51, Nevada: The titanium A-12 spy plane prototype is being prepared for mounting on the pylon for radar cross section tests at Area 51, which were used to determine the visibility of the plane to enemy radar.
  • A warning sign at the border of Area 51, Nevada.
  • SCREEN GRAB: Kingman Airport, AZ: Hangar doors opened.
  • Area 51, Nevada: B&W photo of the U-2 on a runway being worked on (archive).
  • AREA 51, Nevada: A U-2 spy plane landing at air strip at Area 51/ Watertown.
  • AREA 51, Nevada: Ejection seat test at Area 51. Pilot Ken Collins was saved by his ejection seat and emergency parachute when had to bail out of an A-12 spy plane.
  • Woodland Hills, California: Former CIA test pilot Ken Collins holding the helmet of the pressure suit he used for the A-12 OXCART. Flying a high altitude spy plane at 90,000 feet meant that pilots like astronauts needed to be protected from the pressure and heat that mounts with altitude.
  • Area 51, Nevada: Trailers at Area 51, 1955 (archive).
  • SCREEN GRAB: Near Area 51, NV: A-12s being driven from Lockheed to Area 51 (archive).
  • AREA 51, Nevada: A U-2 pilot is being fitted into a partial pressure suit at Area 51. These early pressure suits bore a cunning resemblance to the alien costumes of 1950s b-movies.
  • SCREEN GRAB: Area 51, Nevada: U-2s lined up in front of the hangars (archive).
  • AREA 51, Nevada: The U-2 spy plane arrives at Area 51 wrapped in sheets. The U-2, code name Project Aquatone, was the program that Area 51 first came into existence for. Meant to serve as a temporary base at first, Aquatone was followed by many more top secret programs and is still in use today.
  • AREA 51, Nevada: The prototype of the A-12 OXCART spy plane on a pylon at Area 51 at night. Mock-ups and planes were put on pylons to test their visibility to enemy radar. Russian satellites flew over the area on a regular basis so the testings often had to be conducted quickly or at night.

  • Area 51 Declassified 23

    SCREEN GRAB: Near Area 51, NV: An A-12 flying against a blue sky (archive).

  • Area 51 Declassified 18

    AREA 51, Nevada: The titanium A-12 spy plane prototype is being prepared for mounting on the pylon for radar cross section tests, which were used to determine the visibility of the plane to enemy radar.

  • Area 51 Declassified 12

    AREA 51, Nevada: The U-2 spy plane is being maintained at Area 51, which at the time was known as "Watertown" amongst the workers with top-secret clearance.

  • Area 51 Declassified 15

    AREA 51, Nevada: The titanium A-12 spy plane prototype is being prepared for mounting on the pylon for radar cross section tests, which were used to determine the visibility of the plane to enemy radar.

  • Area 51 Declassified 05

    AREA 51, Nevada: Aerial of Area 51 in the mid-1960s. Workers then and now are flown in from Burbank and Vegas.

  • Area 51 Declassified 24

    SCREEN GRAB: Area 51, Nevada: Ray Goudey reading while pre-breathing (archive).

  • Area 51 Declassified 19

    AREA 51, Nevada: The A-12 chines under construction at the Burbank facility. The chines, that gave the aircraft its cobra-like appearance, added to the plane's low visibility to enemy radars.

  • Area 51 Declassified 31

    Near Wendover, Utah: A piece of titanium, debris from a top secret spy plane, the A-12 OXCART, that crashed here in 1963. Historian Peter Merlin scans the area with a metal detector.

  • Area 51 Declassified 13

    AREA 51, Nevada: The U-2 spy plane on the landing strip at Area 51.

  • Area 51 Declassified 16

    The A-12 OXCART at Area 51. Over 90% of the plane's airframe was made of titanium.

  • Area 51 Declassified 01

    The U-2 on the runway,signaled by a man in a checkered shirt(archive)

  • Area 51 Declassified 28

    Reenactment: Pilot being interrogated by two CIA agents.

  • Area 51 Declassified 29

    Near Area 51, Nevada: On the way to Area 51, on the so-called Extraterrestrial Highway. Around the top-secret government testing site, GPS information suddenly becomes unreliable in places. Roads disappear on the screen. Due to this strange phenomenon people have crossed the border to Area 51 unwittingly and were put in jail or deported.

  • Area 51 Declassified 32

    Near Wendover, Utah: Historian Peter Merlin holding a piece of titanium debris from the crash of a top secret spy plane that originated at Area 51 called A-12 OXCART.

  • Area 51 Declassified 17

    AREA 51, Nevada: The titanium A-12 spy plane prototype is being prepared for mounting on the pylon for radar cross section tests, which were used to determine the visibility of the plane to enemy radar.

  • Area 51 Declassified 25

    SCREEN GRAB: Las Vegas, NV: Close-up on pilot's face.

  • Area 51 Declassified 02

    Area 51, Nevada: Covered U-2 being rolled out of cargo bay (archive).

  • Area 51 Declassified 07

    AREA 51, Nevada: The titanium A-12 spy plane prototype is being prepared for mounting on the pylon for radar cross section tests at Area 51, which were used to determine the visibility of the plane to enemy radar.

  • Area 51 Declassified 08

    AREA 51, Nevada: The A-12 spy plane in flight.

  • Area 51 Declassified 09

    AREA 51, Nevada: The titanium A-12 spy plane prototype is being prepared for mounting on the pylon for radar cross section tests at Area 51, which were used to determine the visibility of the plane to enemy radar.

  • Area 51 Declassified 30

    A warning sign at the border of Area 51, Nevada.

  • Area 51 Declassified 26

    SCREEN GRAB: Kingman Airport, AZ: Hangar doors opened.

  • Area 51 Declassified 03

    Area 51, Nevada: B&W photo of the U-2 on a runway being worked on (archive).

  • Area 51 Declassified 11

    AREA 51, Nevada: A U-2 spy plane landing at air strip at Area 51/ Watertown.

  • Area 51 Declassified 06

    AREA 51, Nevada: Ejection seat test at Area 51. Pilot Ken Collins was saved by his ejection seat and emergency parachute when had to bail out of an A-12 spy plane.

  • Area 51 Declassified 27

    Woodland Hills, California: Former CIA test pilot Ken Collins holding the helmet of the pressure suit he used for the A-12 OXCART. Flying a high altitude spy plane at 90,000 feet meant that pilots like astronauts needed to be protected from the pressure and heat that mounts with altitude.

  • Area 51 Declassified 04

    Area 51, Nevada: Trailers at Area 51, 1955 (archive).

  • Area 51 Declassified 21

    SCREEN GRAB: Near Area 51, NV: A-12s being driven from Lockheed to Area 51 (archive).

  • Area 51 Declassified 20

    AREA 51, Nevada: A U-2 pilot is being fitted into a partial pressure suit at Area 51. These early pressure suits bore a cunning resemblance to the alien costumes of 1950s b-movies.

  • Area 51 Declassified 22

    SCREEN GRAB: Area 51, Nevada: U-2s lined up in front of the hangars (archive).

  • Area 51 Declassified 14

    AREA 51, Nevada: The U-2 spy plane arrives at Area 51 wrapped in sheets. The U-2, code name Project Aquatone, was the program that Area 51 first came into existence for. Meant to serve as a temporary base at first, Aquatone was followed by many more top secret programs and is still in use today.

  • Area 51 Declassified 10

    AREA 51, Nevada: The prototype of the A-12 OXCART spy plane on a pylon at Area 51 at night. Mock-ups and planes were put on pylons to test their visibility to enemy radar. Russian satellites flew over the area on a regular basis so the testings often had to be conducted quickly or at night.

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