PHOTO: EAST NEWS/AFP Thor Heyerdahl, the Norvegian explorer famed for his 1947 Kon Tiki raft expedition across the Pacific, poses 02 May 1970 in Moroccan harbour of Safi prior to his expedition across the Atlantic Ocean. Heyerdahl and his "Ra II", a 12 meter replica of an ancient-style vessel made of papyrus, crossed the widest part of the Atlantic 6100 km (3270 nautical miles) in 57 days, from Safi to Barbados. Once again, this voyage showed that modern science under-estimated long forgotten aboriginal nautical technologies. The theory that Mediterranean vessels built prior to Columbus could not have crossed the Atlantic was thrown on its head.

PHOTO: EAST NEWS/AFP Thor Heyerdahl, the Norvegian explorer famed for his 1947 Kon Tiki raft expedition across the Pacific, and his wife, smile 30 May 1969 in Moroccan harbour of Safi in front of "Ra", a replica of an ancient-style vessel made of papyrus, prior to his expedition across the Atlantic Ocean. Heyerdahl embarked under the UN flag with a crew of seven men from seven countries and sailed 5000 km (2700 nautical miles) in 56 days until storm and deficiencies in the construction caused the team to abandon their target only one week short of Barbados. This voyage showed that modern science under-estimated long forgotten aboriginal nautical technologies. The theory that Mediterranean vessels built prior to Columbus could not have crossed the Atlantic was thrown out on its head.

PHOTO: EAST NEWS/AFP A picture dated May 1969 of Norwegian ethnologist and adventurer Thor Heyerdahl (R) and his team (unidentified) aboard the Ra I, a facsimile of an ancient Egyptian reed Boat. Leaving in May 1969, Heyerdahl and a small crew crossed the Atlantic Ocean from Morocco to Central America aboard the Ra to prove the possibility that the pre-Columbian cultures of the Western Hemisphere might have been influenced by Egyptian civilization.

PHOTO: EAST NEWS/AFP A picture dated May 1969 of Norwegian ethnologist and adventurer Thor Heyerdahl (R) and his team (unidentified) aboard the Ra I, a facsimile of an ancient Egyptian reed Boat. Leaving in May 1969, Heyerdahl and a small crew crossed the Atlantic Ocean from Morocco to Central America aboard the Ra to prove the possibility that the pre-Columbian cultures of the Western Hemisphere might have been influenced by Egyptian civilization.

PHOTO: EAST NEWS/AFP A picture dated May 1969 of Norwegian ethnologist and adventurer Thor Heyerdahl (R) and his team (unidentified) aboard the Ra I, a facsimile of an ancient Egyptian reed Boat. Leaving in May 1969, Heyerdahl and a small crew crossed the Atlantic Ocean from Morocco to Central America aboard the Ra to prove the possibility that the pre-Columbian cultures of the Western Hemisphere might have been influenced by Egyptian civilization.

PHOTO: EAST NEWS/AFP A picture dated May 1969 of Norwegian ethnologist and adventurer Thor Heyerdahl (R) and his team (unidentified) aboard the Ra I, a facsimile of an ancient Egyptian reed Boat. Leaving in May 1969, Heyerdahl and a small crew crossed the Atlantic Ocean from Morocco to Central America aboard the Ra to prove the possibility that the pre-Columbian cultures of the Western Hemisphere might have been influenced by Egyptian civilization.

A picture dated May 1969 of Norwegian ethnologist and adventurer Thor Heyerdahl aboard the Ra I, a facsimile of an ancient Egyptian reed Boat. Leaving in May 1969, Heyerdahl and a small crew crossed the Atlantic Ocean from Morocco to Central America aboard the Ra to prove the possibility that the pre-Columbian cultures of the Western Hemisphere might have been influenced by Egyptian civilization. // Photo datee de mai 1969 de l'ethnologue et voyageur norvegien Thor Heyerdahl avec r l'arricre-plan le R? I, un radeau en tiges de payrus liees par des cordes sans un seul clou r l'image des embarcations de l'Egypte ancienne. Parti en mai 1969 avec un equipage reduit, Heyerdahl a realise r bord du R? I, une premicre tentative de traversee de l'Atlantique entre le Maroc et l'Amerique centrale. pour prouver que les anciens Egyptiens auraient pu decouvrir l'Amerique 2 500 ans avant Christophe Colomb. Une deuxicme tentative fut realisee en 1970 r bord du R? II.

Norwegian explorer Capt. Thor Heyerdahl poses with the Ra expedition crew on board the 15 meter reed-boat made of papyrus at the old Phoenician port of Safi, Morocco, on May 20, 1969. Heyerdahl and his crew of seven men from seven different countries will embark under the UN flag to cross the Atlantic. The crew members, from left, are, Georges Sourial, Egypt; Santiago Genoves, Mexico; Abdoulaye Dji-vrine, Tehad; Norman Baker, U.S.A.; Carlo Mauri, Italy; and Heyerdahl. Kneeling in foreground is Yuri Cenkevitch, U.S.S.R. (AP Photo)

Thor Heyerdahl, a Norwegian explorer and author of

Norwegian explorer Thor Heyerdahl is seen in front of his papyrus boat, Ra, 1969, in Safi, Morocco, where he is preparing to take the craft across the Atlantic to the Americas. (AP Photo)

Queen Elizabeth II holds a tiny model of the famous Kon-Tiki raft given to her by Thor Heyerdahl, June 25, 1955. The writer and explorer, who captained the original for 101-days when it drifted across the Pacific. The model presentation was made when the Queen visited the Kon-Tiki Museum in Oslo. The model is made of balsa wood from the original. (AP Photo)

The Kon-Tiki expedition crew waves from the homemade balsa wood and bamboo raft upon arrival in San Francisco, Ca., from the South Pacific, Sept. 29, 1947. From left are, Thor Heyerdahl, leader of expedition; Bengt Danielson; Erik Hesselberg; Torstein Raaby; Herman Watzinger, second in command and designer of the raft; and Knut Haugland. The Norwegian explorers set out from Callao, Peru, to prove Heyerdahl's theory that eary migrations from Americas to Oceania were made by rafts driven by winds and ocean currents. The crew drifted 101 days and 4300 miles to coral reef near Raroia Island in Melanesian group. (AP Photo)

Thor Heyerdahl, Norwegian ethnologist and head of the Kon-Tiki expedition, arrives in San Francisco, Ca., from the South Pacific, Sept. 29, 1947. (AP Photo)

The Kon-Tiki expedition is shown after its arrival at Papeete, Tahiti, Polynesia, Sept. 18, 1947. Norwegian archaeologist Capt. Thor Heyerdahl and his six-man crew spent 101 days on the 15-ton balsa raft Kon-Tiki, crossing the Pacific from Peru to Tahiti. Heyerdahl built this replica of the aboriginal balsa raft to test his theories that the ancient Peruvians reached Polynesia with this transport. (AP Photo)

Norwegian adventurer Thor Heyerdahl holds a shark fished from the ocean aboard the Kon Tiki in 1947. Heyerdahl crossed the Pacific on a balsa log raft and detailed his harrowing 101-day voyage in the book ??Kon-Tiki.'' He died Thursday, April 18, 2002 at the age of 87. (AP Photo)

Thor Heyerdahl, right, and Herman Watzinger chart the course of the six-man balsa raft expedition Kon-Tiki in Washington, D.C., Dec. 28, 1946. Heyerdahl, who has organized the expedition, will lead the Kon-Tiki from Peru to French Polynesia, and Watzinger will be second-in-command. The two Norwegians have completed arrangement with the U.S. War Department for the equipment for their expedition beginning Feb. 1947. (AP Photo)