() For years, the U.S. Air Force installation known as Area 51 has been linked with extraterrestrial lore, but the reality behind the site is a bit more down to earth.

The Groom Lake facility in Nevada about 100 miles northwest of Las Vegas remains highly secretive, although the veil has been partially lifted in recent years. Some military veterans stationed there in the 1980s and 1990s tell they have developed illnesses and cancers but cannot get government benefits and medical coverage because their service records are classified.

So, what is going on at Area 51?

Area 51’s alien overtones

For generations, Area 51 has been linked with Unidentified Flying Objects, or UFOs (a newer, broader term, “Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena,” or UAPs, includes mysterious objects observed at sea or in space).

Conspiracy theories have traditionally characterized Area 51 as a U.S. government warehouse for physical UFO evidence, including the bodies of extraterrestrials. It is particularly associated with stories of a 1947 UFO crash hundreds of miles away in Roswell, New Mexico, an incident officially designated as a weather balloon crash. Area 51 did not come online until the mid-1950s, when the Cold War was in full swing.

What is Area 51 used for?

Area 51 has been used as a remote place to develop and test U.S. spy planes and stealth fighters. It is within a larger property known as the Nevada Test and Training Range, where atmospheric and underground nuclear detonations have occurred.

The federal government did not officially acknowledge the existence of Area 51 and its general purpose until 2013.

Why is it called Area 51?

No definitive answer has surfaced. The most common explanation is that it’s simply a map designation. More colorful are the various nicknames Area 51 has acquired, such as “Paradise Ranch,” or simply “the ranch,” which supposedly appealed to workers. Another nickname was “Watertown,” a reference to the way rainwater from the mountains would periodically flood the dry lakebed.

Area 51 has also been referred to as Groom Lake.

Can the public access Area 51?

No. Armed guards patrol the perimeter, and the airspace above is restricted.

Still, in 2019, a Facebook event was organized to “Storm Area 51, They Can’t Stop All of Us.” Only about 40 people actually materialized outside the gates before being shooed away by police.