During March and April of 2006, Nauticos conducted its second Deep Sea Search for Amelia Earhart. Although the mission successfully mapped the planned search area, the Electra was not found. We are committed to continue the project, and are planning the next expedition for the earliest opportunity in 2015. Please contact us at lynn@nauticos.com if you would like to be on an expedition email list or have a specific comment or question.
Thanks to the sponsorship by SeaWord of both an educator and a student on the 2006 Earhart expedition, a wide range of educational objectives were met. Both individuals grew immensely in their understanding of deep-sea exploration, the ocean, marine geology, sonar and other aspects of shipboard operations. The on board educator returned to her classroom and shared her experience with her students, and will be presenting to other teachers in her district during their summer institute. In addition, she will be integrating her experience into her middle school science curriculum for years to come.
During the expedition, the education team ran a SEA school open to all hands on board. Seventeen members of the expedition presented 34 different topics sharing their expertise with their shipmates. SEA school allowed a rare opportunity for a diverse group of very accomplished and naturally curious people to learn from each other. A daily paper was published while we were at sea to keep the team informed of progress and daily events. The SeaWord sponsored student was a major contributor to this paper, writing a daily feature highlighting a member of the expedition team. An unexpected event during the expedition was the opportunity to communicate on several occasions with astronauts on board the International Space Station. These conversations via ham radio were video taped on both ends and a DVD is being made to share with students during presentations by ham radio groups and by members of our education team.
Another goal of the education team was to collect materials in video and photo format in order to share the experience of the search with the general public. Photos were captured of all aspects of the trip and compiled and distributed to mission members. Video clips of our onboard student interviewing experts on renavigation, sonar images, image analysis, deep sea pressure effects and ISS communication were collected. These materials are in place to integrate into a website when authorization is granted by the expedition’s sponsor. We will share more information as it is released.
