Earhart expedition update: Crew departs from Purdue University Airport

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — The Taraia Object expedition, a joint search between the Archaeological Legacy Institute, Purdue Research Foundation and Purdue University to identify if a visual anomaly in a South Pacific island lagoon is the missing Lockheed Electra 10-E flown by Amelia Earhart, officially began Friday (Oct. 2) as three members of the expedition team departed from the Purdue University Airport.

Marc Hagle, William Wilson and Ren LaRocca departed about 2 p.m. en route to Los Angeles International Airport to meet up with other expedition members before subsequent flights to Fiji and Kiribati.

Earhart team departs

Expedition members Marc Hagle, Ren LaRocca and William Wilson depart from the Purdue University Airport on Friday (Oct. 2).

Earhart team departs

Expedition members Marc Hagle, Ren LaRocca and William Wilson depart from the Purdue University Airport on Friday (Oct. 2).

Earhart team departs

Expedition members Marc Hagle, Ren LaRocca and William Wilson depart from the Purdue University Airport on Friday (Oct. 2).

Earhart team departs

Expedition members Marc Hagle, Ren LaRocca and William Wilson depart from the Purdue University Airport on Friday (Oct. 2).

Earhart team departs

Expedition members Marc Hagle, Ren LaRocca and William Wilson depart from the Purdue University Airport on Friday (Oct. 2).

Earhart team departs

Expedition members Marc Hagle, Ren LaRocca and William Wilson depart from the Purdue University Airport on Friday (Oct. 2).

Earhart team departs

Expedition members Marc Hagle, Ren LaRocca and William Wilson depart from the Purdue University Airport on Friday (Oct. 2).

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All 17 members will be together for the first time at Tarawa, Kiribati, on Oct. 6. They will depart by sea Oct. 7 for Nikumaroro.

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1 week out: Countdown to the search for Amelia Earhart’s plane begins

For those following the expedition, updates will be shared on the Purdue Newsroom and Purdue University social media pages.

About Archaeological Legacy Institute

Archaeological Legacy Institute is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit based in Eugene, Oregon, and organized to share the human cultural heritage widely through the use of cutting-edge media technology. ALI’s core project is The Archaeology Channel (http://www.archaeologychannel.org), a free streaming-media website featuring video and audio programs on archaeology, indigenous peoples and cultural heritage. This combines with news site Archaeologica.org, the social media site ArchaeoSeek.com, and subscription video-on-demand platform Heritage Broadcasting Service (heritagetac.org) to form a unique constellation of online services and resources for those keen to learn about and enjoy cultural-heritage information, events, programming and discussions. Through The Archaeology Channel Tours, ALI also organizes in-person group visits to significant cultural heritage sites worldwide, which have included Stonehenge, Machu Picchu, Chichén Itzá, Uxmal, Newgrange, Persepolis, Carnac, the Ness of Brodgar, the Malta prehistoric temples and many others.

About Purdue University and Purdue Research Foundation

Purdue University is a research institution ranked among the top 10 public universities in the United States. The Purdue Research Foundation (PRF) is a private nonprofit operating as a separate entity to advance the university’s mission. Purdue is committed to affordability and accessibility with more than 111,000 students studying at Purdue across multiple campuses. PRF operates Purdue Innovates, including the Office of Technology Commercialization, Incubator and Ventures, as well as managing Purdue Research Park, Discovery Park District at Purdue, Purdue Technology Centers and the Purdue for Life Foundation.