Is it a plane or a tree? Amelia Earhart expedition aims to solve mystery of disappearance
I keep picturing the moment they wade into that lagoon and find out the shape is just a fallen palm. But the sceptics have a point. Sandbars and coral can look like almost anything from above, and wishful thinking has a way of sharpening blurry pixels. Still, the satellite imagery gives this expedition more grounding than most Earhart theories, which usually run on rumour and radio static.
What I'd want to know is what happens when the object turns out to be nothing. If it is her plane, buried in sand after 87 years, that changes how we read the final hours of her flight. If it's a tree, we've spent a lot of money to confirm that the ocean keeps its own records.
I'm glad they're going anyway. Some mysteries deserve the effort of showing up, even when the odds say no. The atoll has been waiting a long time for someone to look properly.