国家地理:2011年度十佳新闻图片(1)

Area 51 Spy Plane Revealed

51号区间谍飞机曝光

Suspended upside down, a titanium A-12 spy-plane prototype is prepped for radar testing at Area 51 in the late 1950s.

上世纪50年代晚期，神秘的美国51号区，一架钛材料A-12间谍飞机原型机准备接受雷达测试。

After a rash of declassifications, details of Cold War workings at the Nevada base, which to this day does not officially exist, are coming to light—including images of an A-12 crash and its cover-up pictured publicly for the first time in May.

经过一系列解密之后，内华达基地51号区在冷战期间的诸多细节最终大白于天下，其中包括5月公布的A-12侦察机坠机以及有关掩盖坠机事故真相的照片。这些照片此前从未对外公开过。

Nearly undetectable to radar, the A-12 could fly at 2,200 miles (3,540 kilometers) an hour—fast enough to cross the continental U.S. in 70 minutes. From 90,000 feet (27,400 meters), the plane's cameras could capture foot-long (0.3-meter-long) objects on the ground below. But pushing the limits came with risks—and led to the catastrophic 1963 crash of an A-12 based out of Area 51.

雷达几乎无法探测到A-12，其时速可达到2200英里(每小时3540公里)，足以在70分钟内横跨美国大陆。这种间谍飞机能够在9万英尺(2.74万米)的高度拍摄到地面上只有1英尺(30厘米)长的物体。但提升性能极限也不可避免地带来风险，1963年，一架A-12间谍飞机在51号区附近坠毁。

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