New Amelia Earhart Search Mission Begins

Bethany Whitfield

Tuesday, July 03, 2012 at 08:33 PM ET

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** Amelia Earhart with her Lockheed Electra**

Key Takeaways:

The International Group for Historic Aircraft Recovery (TIGHAR) has launched a new expedition to Nikumaroro island, believing Amelia Earhart and navigator Fred Noonan made an emergency landing there rather than crashing at sea.
TIGHAR's theory is supported by artifacts found on the island, such as skeletal remains, campsite remnants, a 1930s cosmetic jar, and a 1937 photo possibly showing the plane's landing gear offshore.
The current 26-day mission employs robots with sonar and high-definition cameras to search the deep waters around Nikumaroro for wreckage, though significant skepticism remains due to past unsuccessful searches.

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Members of the International Group for Historic Aircraft Recovery (TIGHAR) set out on Tuesday on a renewed search for Amelia Earhart’s Lockheed Electra, almost exactly 75 years after the historic aviator disappeared somewhere in the Pacific while attempting to circumnavigate the globe.

The expedition team is headed to the island of Nikumaroro, where TIGHAR members say they have uncovered a variety of artifacts that point to the presence of an American female castaway from the 1930s.