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After Years Of Drilling, Antarctic Lake Will Be Reached
- jameslevy 15y agoHope they won't find any Thing they're not looking for. (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0084787/ http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0084787/ and 2011 prequel http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0905372/ http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0905372/)
- shill 15y agoRelease the Kraken!
- Lazare 15y agoLet's hope it turns out better than this: http://www.infinityplus.co.uk/stories/colderwar.htm http://www.infinityplus.co.uk/stories/colderwar.htm (Sorry, but I think it's almost obligatory to link A Colder War every time this story comes up.)
- andrewflnr 15y agoWhat a lovely story to read right before bed.
- Robelius 15y agoI'm glad that the Russian Government did not bail out of this project in the end, and instead decided to see it through. I only wish more tax dollars were spent towards research, rather than fighting.
- smoody 15y agoThat article is over a year old (January 2011). Here's a newer one from 18 January 2012: http://news.sciencemag.org/scienceinsider/2012/01/all-eyes-on-antarctic-drillers.html http://news.sciencemag.org/scienceinsider/2012/01/all-eyes-o... As a matter of fact, based on their drilling rate, they should have reached it by now.
- dholowiski 15y agoThey were 50 meters away last year. January 2012 they were 29. Looks like they still have another year or two to go.
- DilipJ 15y agoThere is a recent Washington Post article that says they are on the verge of breaking thru. I hope they discover some form of life in the lake. It would be amazing to discover what the evolutionary outcomes would be for organisms in such an isolated harsh environment.
- artursapek 15y agoAs of 13 January, they had reached a depth of 3737.5 meters, about 15 meters away from liquid water. With three teams drilling around the clock and making progress at an average of 2 meters per day, Priscu says they're on track to break through within the week. edit: It will only take another year because they're letting the lake water come up through a small bore-hole and freeze, which they will examine next summer season.
- goblin89 15y ago> the team came up with new, ecologically safe methods of probing the lake Let's hope that these will work. ’Technical difficulties‘ reported make it look like the equipment may not have enough precision to keep it clean.
- eps 15y agoWhat makes you say that?
- goblin89 15y agoPlease refer to the original article and search for ‘But the work has not been going very smoothly’. Also, check out the link posted by smoody and search for ‘nerve-wracking moment for the drillers’. We don't want antifreeze and other stuff to get into the clear water underneath, I guess.
- baddox 15y agoMy interest was piqued by the mention of "space radar."
- yogrish 15y agoyou might be interested in this HD Documentary http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&list=PL5E237D7816405729&v=maQhn96AhuI http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&lis...
- eps 15y agoAre they actually drilling? As opposed to melting the ice and removing the water. Especially since the ice is near its melting point at their current depth as per article.
- maaku 15y agoYes they are drilling, because drilling results in ice cores that are scientifically useful (provide context).
- mbq 15y agoI only wonder whether humanity will be able to resist the urge of selling it as a bottled water at some point...
- jrabone 15y agoAm I the only one who read "huge round [ice] monocrystals of a metre or more in diameter and as hard as glass." and immediately thought "ice-9"? [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cats_Cradle http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cats_Cradle]