The Truth Behind: UFOs
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Sun Sets Over Area 51
The sun sets over the Nevada desert not far from the fabled secret military installation known as Area 51. The remote facility has been used by the U.S. government since the 1950s to test next-generation top-secret aircraft. The subject of conspiracy theories claiming it is the site of efforts to reverse-engineer UFO propulsion technology, the base has become central to UFO folklore.
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The Little A'le'Inn
This sign outside of Rachel, Nevada invites travelers to visit the Little A'le'Inn. As the closest habitation to the Nellis Air Force Range and Area 51, Rachel enjoys a modest celebrity, particularly among aviation enthusiasts and UFO hunters.
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UFO Model
Show contributor Alex Podovich sits by a flying-saucer model used in The Truth Behind: UFOs. Mr. Podovich, a self-proclaimed UFO abductee, is the founder of the Las Vegas UFO Hunters, a group of enthusiasts dedicated to uncovering evidence that UFOs are real.
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Watching for UFOs
Setting up the telescope to watch for UFOs. UFO hunters and enthusiasts search the sky for lights in the desert, erratic flight paths, and crafts traveling faster than anything seen on a military airfield.
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Peter Merlin Holds Plane Wreckage
Are UFOs simply highly classified military aircraft? Peter Merlin, an aerospace historian, seems to think so. He has been researching the history of Area 51 since 1984 and is seen here holding plane wreckage claimed to be found in the desert near the secret testing facility. Merlin believes top-secret military technology accounts for the majority of UFO sightings across the globe.
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Producing a Hoax
While many UFO sightings remain unexplained, some are the result of a deliberate hoax. Here, technician Marc D'antonio makes some final adjustments to a UFO model that will be used to demonstrate the ease of producing such a hoax.
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Handcraft UFO
The UFO model, shown here, has been completed and sits ready to be used in demonstrating the creation of a hoaxed UFO video.
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The Skycar
We may all be driving UFOs one day soon. Engineer Paul Moller has been working on his "Skycar" vertical takeoff and landing aircraft (VTOL) for years, here seen climbing into a prototype. Dr. Moller hopes his aircraft innovations will satisfy future demands for "air cars," vehicles which are a marriage of automobiles and civillian aircraft. He is currently working on a saucer-shaped aircraft, the M200X, capable of carrying a pilot and a passenger.
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Working Flying Saucer Model
Dr. Paul Moller is seen here, sitting in a working model of the M200X, the "flying saucer" he designed and built. Although Moller's aircraft may look exotic, the design and technology that power it are very much down-to-earth. The M200X can take off vertically and hover up to 10 feet off the ground on a cushion of air created by its ducted fans.
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Filling the Wind Tunnel
Moller International employees prepare for a wind-tunnel test of Dr. Moller's saucer-shaped aircraft, the M200X. The smoke will be used to visualize the aerodynamic properties of the craft.
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Showing the Effect of the Wind on the M200X
Here a scale model of the M200X is seen in a wind-tunnel test designed to put it through its aerodynamic paces. Moller International plans to manufacture a small production run of a vehicle based on this design. Want one? Be ready to spend upwards of $250,000—Moller is only making them available via auction.
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Examining Wind Tunnel in Action
Dr. Paul Moller watches the wind-tunnel test of a scale model of the M200x, the flying-saucer shaped aircraft he designed, and hopes to one day manufacture en-masse. Much like a hovercraft, the vehicle will easily fly over obstacles and all types of terrain.
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Aerobot Model in Flight
Here, Dr. Paul Moller flies yet another aircraft of his own design. Called the Aerobot, it is capable of operating via remote-control or as an autonomous, airborne robot.
