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Subscribe to RSSSeventy-five years after the disappearance of Amelia Earhart, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is lending her support to a new investigation into the mystery surrounding the famed aviator's final flight. NBC's Chris Jansing reports.
WASHINGTON -- Following new analysis of a photo that could show wreckage of Amelia Earhart's plane, the Obama administration on Tuesday said it was backing a search this summer to hopefully solve the mystery of America's greatest female aviator.
"We can be as optimistic and even audacious as Amelia Earhart," Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said at a ceremony in Washington, D.C., to announce U.S. support for the expedition. "There is great honor and possibility in the search itself."
The search by The International Group for Historic Aircraft Recovery will focus on the remote island of Nikumaroro, in what is now the Pacific nation of Kiribati.
The group believes Earhart and her navigator Fred Noonan might have managed to land on the island, then known as Gardner Island, and that they could have survived for a short time after disappearing on July 2, 1937.
Other historians believe they crashed into the ocean. But conspiracy theories, including claims that they were U.S. government agents captured by the Japanese before World War II, abound despite having been largely debunked.
The International Group for Historic Aircraft Recovery
This 1937 photo was presented Tuesday as having been analyzed by experts to reveal an object in the water, not easily visible at this scale, showing what might be the landing gear and a wheel from an aircraft.
New analysis of a photo taken at Nikumaroro three months after the disappearance shows what some people believe could be a strut and wheel of the plane protruding from the water, the group says. State Department analysts helped examine the photo.
The hypothesis is that the plane crashed on a reef before eventually being washed deeper into the sea.
The group hopes that probes down the reef slope will reveal larger aircraft parts such as the engines lying in a dim "twilight zone" about 300 yards below the ocean surface.
A photo taken just three months after Earhart disappeared may provide new evidence of famed aviator's plight. The group that plans to conduct the deepwater search believes her airplane is still recoverable. NBC's Chris Jansing reports.
Renowned oceanographer Robert Ballard, who discovered the wreckage of the Titanic and the Bismarck and is advising the Earhart expedition, said the new analysis of the photograph could be the equivalent of a "smoking gun" as it narrows the search area from tens of thousands of square miles to a manageable size.
In 2010, bone fragments were found on the island that the group believes might be of Earhart or Noonan. Other artifacts have been recovered there as well that suggest the two might have lived for days or weeks after landing on a reef.
The privately funded group is putting up $500,000 for the search. The U.S. won't provide money but will offer limited logistical support. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood joined Clinton at the ceremony.
Ric Gillespie, the executive director of the group, said the new search is scheduled to last for 10 days in July and will use state-of-the-art underwater robotic submarines and mapping equipment. The Discovery Channel will film the expedition for a television documentary, he said. He acknowledged that the evidence was circumstantial but "strong" but stopped well short of predicting success.
Discovery of bones and other artifacts on a remote island have proven inconclusive in the search of famed pilot Amelia Earhart. NBC's Janet Shamlian has the story.
"The most important thing is not whether we find the ultimate answer or what we find, it is the way we look," he said. "We see this opportunity to explore ... the last great American mystery of the 20th century as a vehicle for demonstrating how to go about figuring out what is true."
"Back in 1937, in the painful recovery from the Great Depression, Amelia Earhart's courage and determination inspired the American people," he added. "Well, hard times are here again and we need that type of courage and determination again ... we're going to try our best to find her, not for ourselves, but for you," the public.
Details about the planned expedition
Explainer: Earhart and other famous mysteries
The expedition will coincide with the 75th anniversary of Earhart's departure on the ill-fated attempt to become the first woman to fly around the world.
NBC's Catherine Chomiak and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
More than 70 years after Amelia Earhart disappeared over the Pacific during her around-the-world flight, documents and photos are being released that shed new light on one of aviation's greatest mysteries. NBC's Chuck Henry reports.
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Why is it that every freaking story ends up with some idiot saying it was Bush's fault for this Bush's fault for that, like Obama is some savior, lets leave politics out of this for once. It is part of our history, it is a mystery of our life time, lets solve it if we can, maybe we might learn something from it. Amazing.....
One things for sure, Dave. When she ran out of gas then, she did it a lot cheaper than if she did it now, thanks to Oblumbles.
I would rather see tax dollars spent on the recovery of demorats heads.... word on the street is that they are way up obammys bunghole
Jim isn't it amazing how Joe Biden can get both feet stuck in his mouth, while at the same time having his head up his butt??? You have to admire talent where it is!!
yes bob you are correct
Two Republicans having a discussion. Just like their leaders.
Exactly what kind of support are we offering to this expedition? Is the government financially able to offer support? Not at this time. Yes, I am curoius about Amelia and what actually happened but we cannot afford this type of expense.
What is wrong with us today? We don't care that's what. Finding out what happened to this great pioneer is important to our history, and to American Women. It is not a political issue. We have no need to cast dispersions on our President for joining a search for one of our own. If we needed to do that we could say, let's not spend the money yet. We can wait until President Newt builds a Colony on the Moon and then we will see the wreck from there.
I didn't know that Amelia Earhart was from Kenya like President Obama!!
Its so sad to see so many jaded people. This is a great adventure. These are the kind of things that are country was good at. It isn't going to add to the debt, you people out there need to pack your f****** negitivity up and throw it away, your whats wrong with the world. I would much rather see my tax dollars used for this than war. This is achance to answer one of the great mysteries of the world. Back in a time when people of courage risked everything just to find out why. Good luck on this adventure.
I believe it is confirmed that she is dead..... there is no mystery
When is Obama gonna find a cure to our sucky economy and stop finding Bin Laden and Earhart. I want him to find a way to pay off the debt. Create jobs. And give people relief from the worst economy ever. And hey Hillary, let's find peace in the middle east? Not some old bones and an old Electra strut. Let's have another distraction that gets us nowhere while the march toward Obama's face on the flag waves ore our land.
So you honestly believe killing Bin Laden was not important? Seriously? Amazing.
And in case you haven't been noticing, job growth is on a good track. Not as good as we'd all hope, of course, but at least the trend is upward and down right into the toilet as it was under Bush.
The ignorance of Amelia Earhart's role in aviation history shown by many of these comments is stunning. I wonder if they would be more positive in supporting this effort if the lost aviator had been Charles Lindberg. But then again, i think not because they probably also know little about his historic flights either.
Wasn't he the first to fly Democratic Ex-congressman Daniel Kucinic back to his place of birth on the Planet Neptune?
just think if she was black.... not only would she be found, there would be a holiday too... a holiday where only black people get off of work, oh wait that is everyday, nevermind
If all it took was a photo to get the US involved in something then I'm sure what we do would make a lot more sense.
Not sure what logistical support means but if a private party is financing it then go for it. Would be nice to know before i go what really happened. As far as some comments this was a story about a daring woman, not about a president or military or anything else. What are your peoples problem?
WHAT THE HELL !!! USE THE SUPER PAK MONIES for this operation, NOT THE TAXPAYERS DOLLARS, for Christ sake.
How much is this SHAM endeavor going to COST ??? For an old plane and lost souls, I can not believe HOW IDIOTIC OUR GOVERNMENT HAS GOTTEN!!!!!!
SOMEONE IS DOING A CON-JOB off the back of the TAXPAYERS. UNBELIEVABLE !!!!!
Leave it to our government to find another way to waste the taxpayers money. The money they waste could provide a lot of food and other necessities for the poor. I see no real reason for our government to even to get involved in this expedition, other than to have bragging rights on saying they did it.
A lot of negativity on the first day of Spring. Let's try being a little more positive people! If she was a relative of yours wouldn't you like to know what happened?
Try taking your own advice and get off the talking points. Prior to Pearl Harbor, this country was against getting involved in the war. I notice no mention of Korea, Mr. Truman's war or Viet Nam, Mr. Johnson's war. There can't be peace when only one side wants it. Just as in the 30's, there is a great evil stirring. This evil does not want peace, it wants our complete annihilation. And just to refresh you memory, those fictional paranoid pretenses like WMD were shared by democrats and republicans alike. Just as with Mr. Roosevelt, history will prove Mr. Bush correct.
It would be nice if Odumbo would look for ways to lower gas prices instead of Amelia Earhart !
How about they spend some money to find Sarah Palin and Glenn Rice's love child...
or.......Your brain??? Nah it has to be something achievable.
[Achievable...something that can be done within the realm of possiblity]
Congrats, you learned a new word today!
THIS whole episode stinks. The MONEY has to be signed off from CONGRESS WHAT the HELL are they ASLEEP
as always !!!
What AE did was brave and trancending. However, with all the issues and debt we have in the US we should not spend one dime on this project.
Hmm, uhh, okay, sure. I bleve it...... not.
While it's nice to have the sentimentalities of finding out what happened. It should be done completely with private donations and no money from the government. There are way too many things that need attention and money, this in my opinion is not one of them. She's dead, what difference could it possibly make now 75 years later ? It won't change one single thing in the entire world that has any effect on anyone's life, even any family. Anyone alive now didn't know her. It's just another one of those "feel good" things that has absolutely no bearing on anyone today. If that sounds like I don't care, I really don't. It would / will be totally useless information.
obammy single handedly took out his brother bin laden, I am sure he can find a cracker like Amelia pretty easily.............
The laundry called. Your sheets will take another day to press. They're having trouble with the points.
What does that mean will support "LIMITED LOGISTICAL SUPPORT". Is this to soften the AMMERICANs into THINKING that it will be CHEAP?
HOG WASH !! They are cautious statements by OUR CONGRESS which is to MEAN it is going to spend MILLIONS for the so called limited logistical support !!
obammy may not go down in history, but he will go down on your pocketbook
Nobody goes down like Monica Lewinsky...
AS ALWAYS THE AMERICANS are getting the royal SHAMWOAA, HOOD WICK, SNOW JOB, WE GOTCHA, YOU BEEN HAD ways of or relentless imbeciles of GOVERNMENT REPRESENTATIVES !!!
Amelia Earhart's disapperance could have something to do with the Lost television series.