Pay Dirt! Antarctic Drilling Reaches Lake Surface

[KingCracker]

U.S. scientists successfully drilled into Lake Whillans, a subglacial expanse of water hidden deep beneath the Antarctic ice sheet, they reported on Sunday (Jan. 27).

About a month ago, a similar British attempt to reach subglacial Lake Ellsworth had failed. Drilling operations for the WISSARD project (Whillans Ice Stream Subglacial Access Research Drilling), which is funded by the U.S. National Science Foundation's Office of Polar Programs, started on Jan. 21.

Over the next couple of days, equipment will be lowered down the 2,625-foot (800-meter)-deep hole to carry out measurements and to obtain water samples for further study on board container-based scientific laboratories on the surface. As of Sunday (Jan. 27), theWISSARD team said they may have penetrated the lake surface.

Nice try Brits. :D

http://news.yahoo.com/pay-dirt-antarctic-drilling-reaches-lake-surface-213418868.html

[djdanster]

damn :/

[rfirth]

Pay dirt? There is no dirt involved. They drilled a hole through the ice and reached the lake beneath. Not the lakebed.

damn :/

Why the sad face? Sounds like you didn't read the article. This is exciting news. Nobody knows what's down there.

[dvb2000]

Nice try Brits. :D

too bad Antarctica (like the USA) was discovered by the Brits eh? :laugh:

Why the sad face? Sounds like you didn't read the article. This is exciting news. Nobody knows what's down there.

its just water - they drilled 800m into an underground lake.

[KingCracker]

too bad Antarctica (like the USA) was discovered by the Brits eh? :laugh:

They may have discovered it but they didn't shaft it. :laugh:

[djdanster]

Why the sad face? Sounds like you didn't read the article. This is exciting news. Nobody knows what's down there.

Ah sorry, no I'm glad it got drilled and they can now explore it, but you pesky Americans beat us Brits to it! :laugh:

[XerXis]

Pay dirt? There is no dirt involved. They drilled a hole through the ice and reached the lake beneath. Not the lakebed.

Why the sad face? Sounds like you didn't read the article. This is exciting news. Nobody knows what's down there.

because he is a proud citizen of the british empire ;)

[jakem1]

U.S. scientists successfully drilled into Lake Whillans, a subglacial expanse of water hidden deep beneath the Antarctic ice sheet, they reported on Sunday (Jan. 27).

About a month ago, a similar British attempt to reach subglacial Lake Ellsworth had failed. Drilling operations for the WISSARD project (Whillans Ice Stream Subglacial Access Research Drilling), which is funded by the U.S. National Science Foundation's Office of Polar Programs, started on Jan. 21.

Over the next couple of days, equipment will be lowered down the 2,625-foot (800-meter)-deep hole to carry out measurements and to obtain water samples for further study on board container-based scientific laboratories on the surface. As of Sunday (Jan. 27), theWISSARD team said they may have penetrated the lake surface.

Nice try Brits. :D

http://news.yahoo.co...-213418868.html

The Russians beat everyone to it ;)

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-16907998

[RichardK]

I wish they would leave things alone, why do they have to contaminate everything?

[+hedleigh Subscriber²]

The Russians beat everyone to it ;)

http://www.bbc.co.uk...onment-16907998

:rofl: lmao. Take that you western nationalist pigs!!!

Sorry, but I did choke on my coffee when I read that line. :)

[The Laughing Man]

I wish they would leave things alone, why do they have to contaminate everything?

18th Century called, they want its preacher back.

[Growled Member]

The title is very ironic. Love it. And congrats to the team, of course.

[Crisp]

Could go for future research plans to send a drilling probe to Titan / Europa.

[Hum]

The sad thing is, they will now find a way to pollute the lake. :/

[techbeck]

Hmmm, wonder what they unearthed. This is how things like zombies start.

[Growled Member]

Zombies? Did someone mention zombies? Now I'm excited. :p

[Hum]

Hmmm, wonder what they unearthed. This is how things like zombies start.

The movies say the Thing is there. :laugh:

[Hum]

Life Found Under Ice in Antarctica

Life where you'd least expect it. The frigid climes of water below the Antarctic ice sheet don't sound like the most hospitable of conditions, but researchers have indeed found cells containing DNA there. A U.S. research team based in Antarctica pulled up the simple, oxygen-dependent lifeforms earlier this week in Lake Whillans. They've been there for 100,000 years, the scientist estimate, concluding a hunt for microbial life in Antarctic lakes that began in 1996. "This is a big deal?and exciting," comments University of Bristol glaciologist Martin Siegert, because this finding is "the first clean access to a subglacial lake system."

http://news.yahoo.com/life-found-under-ice-antarctica-234137845.html

[McKay]

Why are they surprised about life? They've found life inside Thermal vents from Volcanos at the bottom of the ocean, vents so hot that thermometers melt when they try to take readings, they've found life inside the radioactive cooling tanks in Nuclear plants nibbling away at the Uranium.