Bob Ballard to search for Earhart plane

[Greg Daspit]

Interesting reading this after learning the sextant box is from the Bushnell survey:
"the second package is the sextant box found in the immediate locality and contains all the other pieces of evidence which were found in the proximity of the body"
The description of where the sextant box was found is different than what they found and put in it.  The box was in the "immediate locality" versus  the rest found in the "proximity of the body".

[Don White]

Interesting reading this after learning the sextant box is from the Bushnell survey:
"the second package is the sextant box found in the immediate locality and contains all the other pieces of evidence which were found in the proximity of the body"
The description of where the sextant box was found is different than what they found and put in it.  The box was in the "immediate locality" versus  the rest found in the "proximity of the body".

That would answer the question of how the survey party failed to notice an unburied body on the ground. They might not have been close enough to it.

Possibly the box had already been moved from where the Bushnell party left it, by the time Gallagher learned of its existence. We will probably never know the answers. A plausible story -- for the little it's worth -- is that the box was set down while the sextant was in use; perhaps the surveyors moved some distance from it while working, then by the time it was remembered, they were unable to find it, and it remained there until found by one of Gallagher's workers, who might have been the one to use it as a receptacle. Perhaps it was handed over by said worker after Gallagher began showing interest in objects at the site.

LTM,
Don

[Joy Diane Forster]

Has anyone seen a listing for the National Geographic special yet?   I want to make sure I record it and don't miss it!

[Matt Revington]

Joy, at the end of this article
https://www.nationalgeographic.com/culture/2019/08/tantalizing-clue-marks-end-amelia-earhart-expedition/
in the video caption an air date of of October 20 for the special is listed.

[Andrew M McKenna]

I've heard that the Nat Geo special will air Oct 20 at 8pm Eastern time, but I don't have any other details than that right now.  They are feverishly working on it to get it to final state by the end of this month.

Andrew

[Joy Diane Forster]

Matt, Andrew, thanks for the info.  I will continue to keep an eye on the listings.

[Andrew M McKenna]

The Nat Geo Show is now listed to air on Oct 22 at 7:30 pm, presumably EDT.

https://www.nationalgeographic.com.au/tv/expedition-amelia/

Looking at the web address, I wonder if that is in Australia

amck

[Ric Gillespie]

Looking at the web address, I wonder if that is in Australia

Yes, that's Australia.  In the U.S. the show will air at 8pm on Sunday, October 20.

[Christian Stock]

The Nat Geo Show is now listed to air on Oct 22 at 7:30 pm, presumably EDT.

https://www.nationalgeographic.com.au/tv/expedition-amelia/

Looking at the web address, I wonder if that is in Australia

amck

Hopefully he got a second opinion on the aluminum and the other piece.

[Ric Gillespie]

Hopefully he got a second opinion on the aluminum and the other piece.

Hopefully.

[RGWealleans]

Ballard said he did a 100% of the island down to a certain depth and the target area to another depth. But what about the lagoon? Anecdotal evidence of plane parts washing up in the lagoon ("wing" was mentioned by a native) may indicate that the lagoon has some lighter parts of the aircraft hidden beneath the silt. If you believe in the landing wheel and the patch then you have to believe in the possibility that other light aircraft parts made their way into the lagoon. Whether a suitable means of "dragging" the lagoon can be found that the Kiribati government agrees with can be found. Towing divers on boards and looking for  parts after eighty-two years of silt buildup (despite the water in and out) might not be enough. Looking forward to Oct 20th or 22nd & Nat'l Geo special and hopefully some good underwater views of the wreckage from the ship, etc.

[Ric Gillespie]

We did a side-scan sonar survey of the lagoon in 2010.  The lagoon has lots of junk in it but no recognizable airplane debris shapes turned up. It's possible or even likely that some of the hits are airplane debris, but investigating the hundreds of targets is logistically impossible.  As soon as you disturb the silt, visibility goes to zero and there is no way Kiribati would ever permit dragging the lagoon. 

[David Williams]

Rick, dragging of the lagoon would be a laborious and major task and as you say unlikely to be approved by the Kiribati government.  So have you considered another modern, non invasive alternative?  I know you did a sidescan in 2010 but how about Lidar?  Would the underwater (Bathymetric) version of Lidar give a different perspective view to the sidescan and a better chance of identifying those possible aircraft parts you mentioned ?  I understand the Lidar penetration of the silt on the seabed/lagoon floor can be a few cm to 1 metre depending on the operating frequency chosen.

I looked at current Bathymetric Lidar capability (courtesy of google) and it appears there are many options available either to rent or buy.  I have seen a figure as low as $7500 to purchase a Lidar set.  Lidar can be operated from Aerial or Water borne drones, the latter being the better option I think in the Niku case

There are many companies I see on google offering their wares and services and to be clear I have absolutely no connection with the following company but I do think what they offer might be useful to 'search the lagoon' in a very short time period next time TIGHAR is on Niku. ;)

Dave Williams

HÉLICÉO Bathymetric Drone with Lidar, Echosounder and Sonar Sidescan Capability, helps in monitoring ports, marinas, sea areas, rivers, creeks, lakes and ponds or lagoons.
 
Precision: Thanks to the different sensor choices we offer (echo sounder, 16 or 32 beams LiDAR, multiparameter probe, SONAR Side Scan), you can acquire mesh data from just a few centimeters up to a meter.

Video Link showing drone in use, in the water of a lagoon:
https://youtu.be/ianN3zbgaFk

Link to company website for comprehensive versatility & capability information: http://www.heliceo.com/en/produits-pour-geometres/superbathy-bathymetric-drone/

[Ric Gillespie]

Thanks Dave.  This looks really interesting.  I did not realize there was a bathymetric version of LIDAR that could look through silt.  Using it to search the lagoon at Niku is a possibility, but it might also be the perfect tool for searching the Gull Pond in Newfoundland.  We'll discuss it at the upcoming TIGHAR board meeting.

[Randy Jacobson]

LIDAR depends upon water clarity to probe below the sea surface, and works best in clear waters.  It does not, however, penetrate the sea floor or silty bottoms.  If the water itself contains enough particulate matter, light scattering increases rapidly and the return signal rapidly becomes incoherent and less light returns back to the sensor. 

I was a program manager for the Navy developing various LIDAR systems for mine-hunting purposes.  It is an excellent high resolution system in clear to very clear waters, and works best with a smooth sea surface.  It is a topographic sensor, not one to penetrate the sea floor at all.