The Kiribati government has granted permission for National Geographic's expedition to Nikumaroro atoll to search for clues about missing aviatrix Amelia Earhart.
Photo: AFP
Earhart, her plane and her navigator vanished without a trace in 1937 over the Pacific Ocean as they attempted to fly around the world.
A British party exploring the uninhabited atoll in 1940 found a woman's bones, a lady's shoe and a bottle of the herbal liqueur Benedictine - something Earhart was known to carry.
The expedition will be led by Oceanography Professor Robert Ballard, the man who discovered the wreck of the Titanic.
Radio Kiribati reports the expedition also involves research and filming on South Tarawa.
National Geographic's Fredrik Hiebert says he hopes to be able to say conclusively whether or not the atoll is Earhart's last resting place.