2 Aug 2019

Explorer launches new mission to find Amelia Earhart 's plane

2:12 pm on 2 August 2019

Robert Ballard, the underwater explorer who found the wreck of the Titanic, will launch a new search for the plane of famed aviator Amelia Earhart next week.

Amelia Earhart

Amelia Earhart Photo: Wikicommons

Ms Earhart and her plane disappeared over the Pacific in 1937 while conducting a round-the-world flight mission.

Dr Ballard, who discovered the wreck of the British cruiseliner Titanic in 1985, is now set to head to Kiribati waters to find the aircraft wreckage.

He is currently in American Samoa charting underwater maps for the National Marine Sanctuary in the exploration vessel Nautilus.

Dr Ballard told Talanei News the Nautilus uses state of the art technology with three deep sea drones that have a range of up to three miles.

"We are working here with the National Marine Sanctuaries and we are also bringing new technologies to bear that we are going to be practising and then in a few days we will be heading after Amelia Earhart's plane.

"We have multiple cameras all over the ship and then we have multiple cameras all over our vehicles. If you tune in 24 hours a day, you can send a question, you can interact with us."

Robert Ballard said people can watch a stream of their activities.

National Geographic plans also plans to film the expedition and air a documentary in October.