Holding enough ice to raise sea levels by nearly 200 feet if it all melted, Antarctica is a major factor when it comes to climate change.

That's partly why NASA, yeah the space agency, also sponsors science here on Earth — and right now it's got several dozen scientists criss-crossing the western coast of the continent to measure sea ice and glaciers — the huge rivers of ice that hold back the two vast ice sheets covering Antarctica.

A DC-8 carrying seven instruments, and the researchers, has been making flights along Antarctica's west coast since Oct. 26 — and as weather conditions permit. Flying from a base in Punta Arenas, Chile, the mission hopes to have 11-12 flights completed before packing up on Sunday.