Dark Skies: The Series Drawing from open source materials and primary source interviews, the Valley Press offers a week's worth of stories that explores the landscape of the fabled "black world," and beyond.

Black World Web Pages

As we sat in the Little A-Le-Inn near Area 51, munching on alien chili burgers that were out of this world, we contemplated the mysteries of this spot in the desert that has become a Mecca for UFO enthusiasts and "black world" plane watchers.

It's the place where the words "first," "fastest," and "highest" were given true meaning. And it's a paradox, demanding utmost secrecy and occupying the twin spotlights of history and fame at the same time. For the past six decades, Edwards Air Force Base has quietly played a key role in the cutting edge of research and development in the aerospace world, and at the same time serving as the test crucible for aerial weaponry crucial to the nation's defense.

Signs posted along the property lines of Gray Butte near 245th Street East and Avenue R-8 warn away trespassers and loiterers. Stealthy radar testing was conducted at the secret military test installation in El Mirage until just a few years ago.

Along with the much photographed, sleek F-15 Eagles and F-16 Fighting Falcons blasting over Edwards Air Force Base, there are beyond-Top Secret "black aircraft" swooping like stealthy ravens above the Antelope Valley.

Whether we humans are alone in the unverse as self-aware, technologically advanced beings goes to the heart of our self-image and to our expectations as our military and scientific ventures carry us farther into space.

Some people search the night skies for UFOs. They range from the credulous to the skeptical. Real scientists, along with the merely curious, search the heavens for extra-terrestrial intelligence.

www.abovetopsecret.com
www.serve.com/mahood/bluefire.htm
www.dreamlandresort.com
www.ufomind.com