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 Fred Noonan made an emergency landing there 75 years ago.
TIGHAR's theory is based on artifacts found on the island, including skeletal remains, a campsite, and a 1930s cosmetic jar, which suggest the presence of an American female castaway.
A 1937 photo, scrutinized in 2010, also purportedly shows what could be the landing gear of Earhart's Lockheed Electra in the waters off Nikumaroro.
The current 26-day mission employs robots with sonar and high-definition cameras to search the deep coral-reef waters, despite ongoing skepticism regarding the likelihood of finding conclusive evidence.

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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.