[music]
At the beginning of the 21st Century, a growing
scientific sensitivity to changes in Earth's climate motivated
several ambitious research initiatives. Among other projects,
NASA launched a satellite called ICESat, principally designed to
measure changes in ice volume at the planet's poles. But like all things
ICESat didn't last forever. That's why NASA is working on a
second generation of ICESat, designed not only to pick up where the first one
left off, but advance the quality and quantity of data with more
contemporary technology. But while waiting for the new spacecraft to blast off
researchers were concerned they'd miss vital information about
changing ice. That's why NASA initiated Operation IceBridge
And that's how we find ourself here
in a one-of-a-kind flying laboratory a thousand feet above the
surface of Antarctica. IceBridge is a multi-year mission to collect data from
the northern and southern icecaps. Using aircraft to fly
over regions measured by the original ICESat, experts are making new
measurements bridging the gap between ICESat and ICESat-2
That way, scientists will have an accurate and above-all
consistent record of exactly how Earth's ice inventory
is changing over time. And knowing that is a major step in
understanding much broader implications about climate change.
[beep beep, beep beep]