Taraia Expedition Launched to Search for Amelia Earhart’s Lost Plane Near Nikumaroro
A new expedition is underway to find Amelia Earhart’s lost plane, marking the 88th anniversary of her mysterious disappearance on July 2, 1937. The Purdue Research Foundation (PRF) in Indiana and the Archaeological Legacy Institute (ALI) in Oregon have teamed up to launch the “Taraia Object Expedition.” Their mission is to investigate a possible aircraft wreck site near Nikumaroro Island in the Pacific Ocean.
Focus on the Taraia Object
Nikumaroro, a remote island between Hawaii and Australia, has long been at the center of theories about Earhart’s final flight. The new expedition will explore a satellite-identified target known as the “Taraia Object.” Experts believe this anomaly could be wreckage from The Electra, the plane Earhart flew when she vanished.
Amelia Earhart was not only a pioneer in aviation; she was also the first woman to fly nonstop across the U.S. by herself in 1932. Later, she worked as an aeronautical advisor and career counsellor at Purdue University. This connection is still what drives the school to try to solve the mystery.
Mung Chiang, the president of Purdue University, said that her “Boilermaker spirit of innovation and courage” still inspires students and researchers today.
Richard Pettigrew, the Executive Director of ALI, thinks this mission could finally show the truth: “This could be the closest we’ve ever come to finding out what really happened. The Taraia Object gives us real physical proof, and we can’t wait to see it for ourselves.
A Historic Connection to Purdue
Earhart and her husband George Putnam had planned to give the plane to Purdue after she flew around the world. Steven Schultz, Purdue’s senior vice president and general counsel, said that the university still honours that intent.
The world is once again focused on one of aviation’s greatest mysteries as the team gets ready to look into Nikumaroro. If the Taraia Object turns out to be the Electra, it could finally put an end to the search and honour the memory of one of history’s bravest explorers.
