Page 28 - ARUBA TODAY

A28 SCIENCE
Friday 18 august 2017

Scientists potentially narrow MH370 search area to 3 spots

By ROD McGUIRK port Minister Aziz Kaprawi
Associated Press said the civil aviation de-
CANBERRA, Australia (AP) partment would need to
— Scientists have poten- evaluate the data since
tially narrowed the search it’s based on satellite im-
area for the missing Malay- ages from a few years ago.
sian airliner to three specif- “We will need to verify the
ic locations in the southern data to see if it’s credible
Indian Ocean through new before we make any deci-
satellite and drift analysis sion,” Aziz told The Associ-
of the 2014 crash released ated Press.
Wednesday. Malaysia, China and Aus-
But the Australian Transport tralia have decided that
Safety Bureau cautioned the search will remain
that the drift analysis by suspended unless new
Australian science agency evidence pinpoints the
CSIRO is based on French wreckage’s whereabouts.
satellite images of “prob- But seabed exploration
ably man-made” floating company Ocean Infinity,
objects without evidence based in Houston, Texas,
that they were from Malay- said last week it has of-
sia Airlines Flight 370. fered to launch a private
Still, the locations could search for the Malaysian-
provide potential starting registered airliner.
points to search within a Voice370, a support group
25,000-square-kilometer for victim’s families, said
(9,700-square-mile) ex- under the terms of the offer
panse identified by a pan- In this March 31, 2014 file photo, HMAS Success scans the southern Indian Ocean, near the coast made to Malaysia in April,
el of experts in November of Western Australia, as a Royal New Zealand Air Force P3 Orion flies over, while searching for Ocean Infinity “would like
as the most likely resting missing Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370. to be paid a reward if and
place of the Boeing 777 Associated Press only if it finds the main de-
and the 239 passengers The new analysis is based The experts concluded that seen in the images are bris field.” They urged Ma-
and crew on board. on French military satellite a dozen objects appeared actual pieces of plane,” laysia to accept the offer.
That expanse adjoins the images gathered on March to be man-made.CSIRO CSIRO oceanographer Da- Aziz said Wednesday that
original search zone far 23, 2014 — two weeks af- then investigated where vid Griffin said. the offer was still being ne-
southwest of Australia that ter Flight 370 mysteriously the objects might have “This might be a really good gotiated.
was identified through sat- veered far off course dur- originated before drifting clue. It might be a red her- He said there were some
ellite analysis of the final ing a flight from Kuala Lum- for two weeks. CSIRO iden- ring. other “monetary terms” set
hours of the flight, which pur, Malaysia, to Beijing — tified three potential crash But if you are going to by the firm that were unac-
apparently ended when that were taken near the sites — 35.6 degrees S, 92.8 search, then you’d be sil- ceptable to the govern-
the plane ran out of fuel. original underwater search degrees E; 34.7 degrees S, ly to ignore this potential ment.
Malaysia, China and Aus- zone. 92.6 degrees E and 35.3 de- clue,” he added. “There are three catego-
tralia agreed to suspend The Australian bureau took grees S, 91.8 degrees E. The Australian bureau’s ries of findings in the offer.
the deep-sea sonar search over the search for Flight “So that is a way of poten- chief commissioner, Greg The terms are a bit ambig-
in January after 120,000 370 from Malaysia a week tially narrowing down the Hood, said in a statement, uous,” Aziz said. “The gov-
square kilometers (46,000 later. Satellite experts at search area with the very “Clearly we must be cau- ernment wants the terms
square miles) of seabed Geoscience Australia were important caveat that, of tious” of the lack a definite to be transparent and
were combed without find- not asked to analyze the im- course, we can’t be total- link to Flight 370. clear.” He declined to give
ing any trace of Flight 370. ages until March this year. ly sure that those objects Malaysian Deputy Trans- details.q