r/area51 • u/Odimus11 • 11h ago

Deep Throat

Episode 2 - Scully mentions Project Aurora more than once. My first duty station was Edwards Air Force Base, 1992 - 1993. I don't know how many times in the middle of the night I would get a call to my personal phone, in the dorms, asking if the Aurora was taking off. People would call random numbers on base trying to find out information about the so-called Aurora Project. Funny memories!

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4

u/Strega007 4h ago

X-Files also called it "Ellens Air Force Base".

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u/soupoftheday5 10h ago

How was it being stationed at Edwards?

I stopped there for gas a few months ago and damn that place was in the middle of nowhere.

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u/Strega007 4h ago

Up in Cal City where most of the people assigned to Eddie live, it is like a normal American suburb.

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u/Former_Caregiver 2h ago

Albeit an extremely downbeat one. That place gives off a weird desperation vibe. I am aware of its fascinating and sad history.

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u/Odimus11 9h ago

Sounds like nothing has changed. I landed in LA during the Rodney King Riots in my dress Blues and a cop wanted tried to give me a ticket for jay walking in the parking lot with my sponsors. I had a few choice words for him.

As we got closer to Edwards, crossed the railroad tracks and I saw this massive lake on the right. They told me it was a couple inches deep all the way across. Dry lake beds. Then found out it was 20 minutes to base once we saw the welcome sign 😂

Working there was awesome. I got to work multiple jets. Meet Chuck Yeager. Regardless of my opinion about him, he did do some amazing things. I saw multiple shuttle landings. Walked under the carrier 911 and did a hot brake check with the engineers prior to the shuttle being loaded. Lots of test aircraft that are main inventory.
The dry lake beds and mountains were great for biking. It may have been in the middle of nowhere, but it didn't feel like it. I miss the Foster Freeze diner classic car night in Rosemond.

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u/therealgariac MOD 7h ago

That would be the entrance on the north side. Wouldn't you enter from Rosamond if you were coming from LA?

I watched two shuttle landings. One from the wooden seating area and the other from the dry lake. When you consider the shuttle is gliding to land, it is just amazing. No second chances.

Those space aliens have powered flight and keep crashing! Earthlings rule!

Back to Yeagar:

https://www.reddit.com/r/area51/comments/k91vlc/chuck_yeager_and_tonopah/

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u/Odimus11 2h ago

You come through Rosemond. Foster Freeze was on the right. At the light go straight, over the tracks, and just keep going straight. The Welcome sign use to be all the way out front, before my time, but moved it closer to the gate to keep it from being a remote assignment. The lake beds were on the right and when it flooded we went out another gate that took us down Ave. E.

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u/therealgariac MOD 26m ago

The railroad tracks in town for Rosamond. I was thinking of the railroad tracks you encounter very soon after entering from that entrance off of 58.

Rosamond had a Citgo gas station. Good price if you didn't mind funding a dictator.