Nearly 90 years after Amelia Earhart disappeared over the Pacific Ocean, a 17-member expedition has reached Nikumaroro in Kiribati to investigate an underwater object that could offer clues to her fate.

The team arrived on Oct. 12 after a five-day, 830-nautical-mile journey from Tarawa, Kiribati. Researchers plan to examine a feature spotted in satellite imagery that some believe could be part of Earhart's missing Lockheed Electra 10-E.

Supported by Purdue University, the Purdue Research Foundation, and the Archaeological Legacy Institute (ALI), the expedition aims to determine whether the object is aircraft wreckage. Its identity remains unconfirmed, and the investigation could rule out the possibility that it is connected to Earhart's final flight.

The Taraia Object was identified in satellite imagery in 2020 and appears to resemble part of an aircraft submerged in Nikumaroro's lagoon. According to the expedition's organizers, the feature is also visible in historical imagery dating back to 1938, raising questions about whether it could be connected to Earhart's disappearance.

The team traveled aboard the Marin Mainiku, a vessel operated by the Kiribati National Shipping Line. The journey began in Tarawa on Oct. 7, with researchers reaching the remote atoll five days later.

According to Purdue University's Oct. 12 update, the team arrived after sunset and planned to begin field operations at daybreak. Researchers intend to use underwater survey techniques, including sonar and magnetometer readings, to examine the feature.

A magnetometer can help detect metal beneath the surface, while sonar can map underwater features and help investigators examine objects partly covered by sediment. The team may also probe the feature and remove sediment to reveal more of its structure.

The object is believed to lie close to the lagoon's shoreline in relatively shallow water, although its dimensions and composition remain unknown. Researchers will need to document its shape and materials before determining whether it resembles aircraft wreckage. If the evidence does not support that interpretation, the expedition could rule out the object as a potential clue to Earhart's disappearance.

Earhart disappeared on July 2, 1937, alongside navigator Fred Noonan while attempting to fly around the world. The pair were approaching Howland Island in the Pacific when radio communications indicated difficulties locating their destination. Their aircraft was never recovered, and neither aviator was found.

Their disappearance prompted decades of searches and investigations. One prominent explanation is that they ran out of fuel and crashed into the ocean. Another theory, known as the Nikumaroro hypothesis, suggests they may have landed on the island and survived temporarily as castaways.

Supporters of the latter theory point to historical records, photographs and objects reportedly discovered on the island. However, these findings have not conclusively established what happened to Earhart and Noonan.

The Taraia Object expedition builds on decades of research into the Nikumaroro hypothesis. Investigators hope that examining the feature could produce physical evidence that strengthens or weakens the theory.

The object's resemblance to an aircraft does not establish its identity. Ric Gillespie, a longtime investigator associated with The International Group for Historic Aircraft Recovery (TIGHAR), has suggested that the feature could instead be a fallen tree.

Researchers will need to examine its structure and materials to determine whether it is a natural feature, aircraft debris, or something else entirely.

Even if investigators detect metal at the site, further analysis will be needed to determine its composition and whether it is consistent with materials used in aircraft construction during Earhart's era. Researchers would then need additional evidence to establish whether any components could be linked to her Lockheed Electra.

A visual resemblance or metal detection alone would not prove that the object is part of Earhart's aircraft. Its identification will depend on physical evidence and careful analysis.

The expedition also has a historical connection to Purdue University. Earhart served as a career counselor for women at the university, which supported her aviation ambitions and helped finance the Lockheed Electra she used during her attempted round-the-world flight.

The team's arrival at Nikumaroro marks an important step in the investigation, but it does not mean Earhart's missing plane has been found. The results of the underwater survey and subsequent analysis will determine whether the Taraia Object offers a genuine clue to one of aviation's enduring mysteries.