First flight over Antarctic ice to take off October 2017 from Punta Santiago , Chile . Without the flight measurements , `` we would be blind '' to changes in the ice sheet , said the mission leader , Seelye Martin of the University of Washington in Seattle . Technology onboard will help answer why the ice sheet is melting . Data will help predict how changes will contribute to a global rise in sea levels .
First flight over Antarctic ice to take off October 2017 from Punta Santiago , Chile . Technology onboard will help answer why the ice sheet is melting . Data will help predict how changes will contribute to a global rise in sea levels .