Amelia Earhart Hangar Museum in Atchison to show historic plane and interactive exhibits

The fate of Amelia Earhart remains one of the world's great unsolved mysteries.

The Atchison-born pilot and her navigator, Fred Noonan, vanished in 1937 in the South Pacific while attempting an around-the-world flight.

The 14 interactive exhibits offered at the soon-to-open Amelia Earhart Hangar Museum include one in which visitors will be able to hear commonly held theories about what happened and vote for the one they think is most plausible, said Karen Seaberg, the museum's founder and president.

Ribbon-cutting ceremonies will be at noon Friday for the museum at Amelia Earhart Memorial Airport, one mile west of Atchison at 16701 286th Road.

Who was Amelia Earhart?

The $17 million museum was financed using donations from supporters that include NASA and corporate powerhouses Boeing, Bombardier, FedEx, Garmin and Lockheed Martin. It is in the process of seeking to become an affiliate of the Smithsonian Institute, Seaberg said.

The museum celebrates the legacy of Earhart, a trailblazing pilot whose accomplishments include having been the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean, the first person to fly solo from Hawaii to the U.S. mainland and the first woman to fly nonstop across the U.S.

Museum visitors will be able to hear a recording of Earhart's voice, made as she spoke to children in New York City after she flew across the Atlantic, Seaberg said.

Earhart became a celebrity and drew attention by rejecting the traditional role set aside for women and speaking in support of the proposed Equal Rights Amendment.

What happened on Amelia Earhart's last flight?

In 1931, Earhart married newspaper publisher George Putnam, who promoted her career and encouraged her to try to become the first pilot to circle the earth at the equator.

Aviator Wiley Post had already circled the globe twice, but over a shorter and less challenging northern route that included passing over Canada, Alaska and the then-USSR.

Earhart, accompanied by Noonan, attempted the around-the-world flight in a Lockheed Model 10 Electra plane. Their trip was more than three-quarters complete when they vanished on July 2, 1937, as they sought to find a landing strip the U.S. government had built for them on small, U.S.-owned Howland Island in the South Pacific.

The most commonly held theory is that Earhart, being unable to see the island, ran out of gas and ditched her plane at sea, where she and Noonan died soon afterward.

What will the Amelia Earhart museum's centerpiece be?

Only one plane still exists among the 149 Lockheed Model 10 Electras that were made.

That plane will be the centerpiece of the Amelia Earhart Hangar Museum.

It is named "Muriel," after Earhart's sister, Grace Muriel Earhart Morrissey, who died in 1998 at age 98.

Those present for Friday's ribbon-cutting are to include Bram Kleppner, a grandson of Grace Muriel Earhart Morrissey, Seaberg said.

In addition to Muriel, the museum will offer interactive exhibits that will enable visitors to:

• Flip through Earhart’s scrapbook, which has been digitized, to learn about the bold women who motivated her.

• Create an avatar while learning about Earhart's career paths as a nurse, mechanic, pilot and fashion designer.

• For $5, to take the controls for a virtual reality flight modeled upon Earhart's solo journey across the Atlantic.

How much does admission cost?

Friday's ribbon-cutting ceremony is expected to last about 30 minutes. Those who plan to attend are asked to RSVP in advance using the museum's website.

The museum will open immediately after the ceremony ends. Its regular hours of operation will be from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesdays through Saturdays and noon to 5 p.m. Sundays. Park will be free.

Admission will cost $15 plus tax for adults ages 13 and older; $12 plus tax for senior citizens 60 and older, retired military and active duty service members; $8 plus tax for children 4 to 12; and free for children 3 and under.

Group rates are available for groups of more than 20 people, with further information about those being available from the museum.

Contact Tim Hrenchir at threnchir@gannett.com or 785-213-5934.

This article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal: Atchison museum opening Friday honors legacy of pilot Amelia Earhart