Russian polar researchers plan to reach Lake Vostok in this season(english.ruvr.ru)

39 pointsby bsk16 anni fa6 comments

english.ruvr.ru

Russian polar researchers plan to reach Lake Vostok in this season

http://english.ruvr.ru/2010/12/24/37701431.html

5 comments

jdp2316 anni fa

They've been drilling since 1995. More background from a story earlier this year at http://www.times.spb.ru/index.php?action_id=2&story_id=3...

URSpider9416 anni fa

Perhaps it's a sign of the times, but when I read, "Experts assure that there will be no penetration of air from the atmosphere in the relict lake and there is no threat to its ecology," I feel like it's guaranteed that we'll find a way to do exactly that.

exch16 anni fa

I do hope their promises of not contaminating the ecology will hold up in those undoubtedly very harsh conditions. Would be a shame to waste all those years of drilling by introducing foreign 'samples' into the mix.

jmaygarden16 anni fa

Along those lines, is there more detailed information available on this "new technology" that is supposed to prevent contamination? Wikipedia says that the Russian bore hole was filled with freon and aviation fuel to prevent freezing...

Luyt16 anni fa

This is very exciting, and will probably produce some extremophile (bacterial?) lifeforms which have been hidden for ages, and probably live off volcanic heat and gases.

jmaygarden16 anni fa

Are the Russians getting too impatient for cryobot and hydrobot?

http://www.nasaimages.org/luna/servlet/detail/NVA2~14~14~250...