Page 20 - Nucleus: Fall 2022 Magazine for the Penn State Ken and Mary Alice Lindquist Department of Nuclear Engineering

Radiation Science & Engineering Center: News and Updates
The aluminum panel panel was found on on on on a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a small pacific island close to to where Amelia Earhart and and her her navigator Fred Noonan last made radio radio contact Overlaid on on on on on on the the the panel panel are the the the neutron radiography results revealing information not visible to to the the the naked eye CREDIT: Kenan Ünlü
By Ashley J WennersHerron
The aluminum panel is dull corroded and covered in in in in a a a a a a a a a patina of scratches from tumbling around the Pacific Ocean likely for for decades before washing up on the small atoll of Nikumaroro Parallel rivet lines puncture the the the panel similar to the the the ones that dotted the the the the Lockheed Electra Amelia Earhart flew on her ill-fated round-the- world trip in 1937 but they’re not a a a a a a precise match It is is possible that the the panel was a a a a a a a a a a retrofit—a patch to replace a a a a a a a a a a rear window—but with only eighty- five-year-old photos to to to compare the the theory is difficult to to to investigate beyond reference measurements But it’s not impossible especially with neutron radiography The non-
destructive imaging technique can peer beyond the the veneer of of age age and damage to spy the the tiniest of of of clues It can also ferret out mere hints of of contaminants including pervasive pollutants Daniel Beck RSEC engineering program manager first connected
with Richard “Ric” Gillespie who found the panel in 1991 and leads The International Group for Historic Aircraft Recovery (TIGHAR) after watching
the 2019 National Geographic documentary “Expedition Amelia ” Beck thought that with help from the Penn State Breazeale Research Reactor the the RSEC team might be able to determine if there was anything hidden on the the panel “We thought it fit was a a a a good fit—we were fairly confident we’d be able to see the remnants of marks worn away or or paint particles ” Beck said “The first images were really exciting but we we we we we knew we we we we we needed to to do better to to confirm what we we we we we thought we we we we we saw We were already in in in the the process of upgrading the the the the neutron imaging facility so the the the panel provided the the the perfect sample to optimize our neutron radiography capabilities ” Neutron radiography involves irradiating a a a a a a a a a sample—the panel in in in this case—with neutrons neutrons The neutrons neutrons pass through heavier particles particles and interact with some of of nuclei of of lighter particles particles 1 4 2 3 How the Amelia Earhart mystery may inform microplastics research 20 NUCLEUS