Sir Edmund Hillary is best known for being the first, along with climbing partner Tenzing Norgay, to reach the top of Mount Everest . However, he also made many visits to Antarctica . In 1957, he led the first trip over ice to the South Pole. Hillary also helped his home country, New Zealand, build a research center on Antarctica, called Scott Base. He visited it in January 2007, when he was 87 years old. In the 1900s, many people like Hillary saw Antarctica as an exciting place. Scientists are interested in how glaciers  flow and melt. They also worry that global  warming is making glaciers melt faster. It has caused a 75 percent increase in ice loss in the last 10 years, according to a new study. Scientists say ice loss could cause water levels around the world to rise faster than expected. Ice is melting faster than expected because of global warming. Researchers in Antarctica are studying many other subjects too. Some use the cold weather and clear air as a way to study things that affect other parts of the globe. Antarctica has the cleanest air in the world. That allows scientists to compare the air there to the air in polluted places. Antarctica is the darkest place on earth, so it is a great place to study the stars. Some scientists are even studying penguin droppings . They have developed a new test to learn more about penguins' diets. What is Sir Edmund Hillary best known for?
He was the first to reach the top of Mount Everest. He went to Antarctica many times. He led the first trip to the South Pole. He helped build a research center on Antarctica.