Testing in Area 51Entrance to Area 51 TIFOIts development was highly classified, taking place at Area 51 in Nevada and hidden away from Soviet spy satellites.
Area 51 workers were provided with rosters of Soviet satellites, detailing when certain ones would fly over the Nevada test site so they could conceal the prototypes.
"It was like a bus schedule, and it even told us whether it was an infrared satellite or what type it was," TD Barnes, a former hypersonic flight specialist at Area 51, told National Geographic in 2011.
In addition to the sheds, workers also crafted decoy prototypes out of cardboard and other materials to cast shadows and deceive the satellites.
At least one of the A-12's numerous test flights didn't go according to plan, crashing in the desert outside Area 51.
Persons:
TD Barnes, Jim Freedman
Organizations:
Soviet, Geographic
Locations:
Nevada, Soviet