7 Things Conspiracy Theorists Believe Happened Inside Area 51
2. The Reverse-Engineering Of An Alien Spacecraft
One of the oldest and most popular rumors associated with Area 51, is that the base is (or was) being used to store an alien spacecraft. The ultimate goal may have been to reverse-engineer the craft and take advantage of the advanced technologies it likely possessed.
If this is true, it would explain all the alleged UFO sightings that reportedly took place at the nearby road, known as the Extraterrestrial Highway (aka State Route 375). It's possible that these were simply US military aircraft that used designs similar to that of the recovered alien spaceship.
According to Time, these allegations were confirmed by a retired US army colonel, who used to work at the base. The officer claims that he had access to materials from an alien craft. He also stated that the ship was recovered from Roswell, New Mexico — a location commonly associated with extraterrestrial activity.
Given that Area 51 is a restricted air force base, it would be a logical place to store something like a captured spacecraft.
As Area 51 myths go, the reverse-engineering story doesn't seem as far out there as some of the others. Of course, that isn't saying much.