After 88 years of speculation, could the mystery of Amelia Earhart finally be solved? In less than a month, Purdue University and the Purdue Research Foundation will begin an expedition to the South Pacific in an attempt to solve the disappearance of Amelia Earhart.
A team from Purdue University said there is “very strong” evidence that they have located Earhart’s long-lost plane. The team pointed to a satellite image of a “visual anomaly” in a lagoon on a remote South Pacific island.
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The object has been dubbed the “Taraia Object.” It was first noticed in 2020, but researchers found it had been visible in photos dating back to 1938, just a year after Earhart and her navigator disappeared during her mission to become the first woman to fly around the world at the equator.
The expedition
Researchers plan to go to Nikumaroro Island next month to scan, lift and possibly identify what they believe could be the famous Lockheed Electra. The expedition includes three weeks of travel, departing from the Amelia Earhart Terminal at the Purdue University Airport.
Purdue researchers will join other team members on Majuro in the Marshall Islands. The group will depart Majuro by sea on Nov. 4, sail approximately 1,200 nautical miles and then spend several days on the small island in search of the plane.
According to a news release from Purdue University, three Purdue representatives will be part of the 15-person crew.
Purdue said work will include “videos and still images of the site prior to any disturbance, followed by remote sensing with magnetometers and sonar. Then the team will employ underwater excavation using a hydraulic dredge to expose the object for identification. Fieldwork will include a walk-over survey of nearby land surfaces to search for debris washed up by waves.”
Expedition members are scheduled to return to Majuro around Nov. 21 and fly home the following day.
Finishing Earhart’s plans
Steve Schultz, a Purdue representative going on the expedition, spoke about discovering the plane. He said finding it “would be the first step toward fulfilling Amelia’s original plan to return the Electra to West Lafayette after her historic flight.”
Earhart had planned to return that very plane to Purdue, where she worked before her final flight.
If this truly is the lost Electra, her final mission might still reach its destination, just not how she planned.
“Additional work would still be needed to accomplish that objective, but we feel we owe it to her legacy, which remains so strong at Purdue, to try to find a way to bring it home,” Schultz added.
On Oct. 20, Purdue University’s official podcast “This is Purdue” will release a four-part miniseries called “Finding Amelia.” According to Purdue, the storytelling centers around the decades-long connection between the legendary aviator and Purdue.
