Antarctic Lake Mission Gets Ready

How long will it take for the hot water "drill" to penetrate the 3 km of ice to the lake? And will it be evacuated of water while the drilling is going on?

If not, the water will quickly freeze and will need to be periodically re-drilled.

Also, if it is not evacuated (and it doesn't sufficiently freeze), once the drill penetrates into the lake, since the water column is heavier than the ice above the lake part of it will then go into the lake.

If it is evacuated, once the drill penetrates into the lake the higher pressure of the water will cause it to move partway up into the drilled hole.

How will sampling be performed under these scenarios?

Indeed. Have they accounted for the 'Law of Unintended Consequences?'

That is an interesting story. I had heard about this lake a few years ago and was intrigued then. I had given a talk to students about to go to the Arctic to sample water and of course the topic turned to what parameters they would sample. The water was very cold and barely 1 degree C. It was speculated that the water would be highly metallic. However, I never knew the results as I had retired shortly afterward.

Lake Ellsworth is different in that it was liquid by geothermal activity. This usually means the possibility of anaerobic bacteria and likely sulfur reducing bacteria (assuming there is a supply of sulfate) and methane. Methane reducers could use the CO2 trapped in the ice as a source for electron donation and thus form some CH4. So do we speculate that the water is not all from ice melt but some arises from the underlying geological formation. It is very possible that is the case for some of the water and thus would contain the sulfate and other minerals to support life in the microbial forms mentioned. They may even encounter some or lots of hydrates of methane. That scenario could happen if they were able to drill into the Lake bottom. Can they do that with a Heat drill? Not likely.

If the water is all from the ice melt, then we would know speculate what it contains by reviewing ice samples taken from that depth nearby. It would not likely contain much life but would depend on the nutrients and minerals available within the ice itself. However, I would bet on the Lake receiving a good contribution of water from the underlying formation. It is a tricky sampling problem as the water will want to rise in the hole and may contain the water created by the drilling. 300 Atmospheres will move the water up the hole and likely fracture the ice when the layer of ice in the drill hole is thin enough above the lake water itself. Looking forward to the results.

Is no-one considering the effects of contamination? What happens to all that "weird" life down there when 21st century air/water gets in. <slaps forehead>

Schroedingers cat. Poor kitty. <slaps forehead>

In addition to the other logical concerns raised previously, won't just the higher temperature of the (drilling jet) substantially damage, if not outright destroy, any life-forms with which it comes in contact with at the (full) depth of the boring???...