Aerial view of the Lake Whillans drill site in West Antarctica. The hot water drilling facilities, sediment and chemistry labs, generators and snow-melting facilities are configured as an "H" in the foreground. Going clockwise, Yellow Arctic Oven tents are in the rear, then cargo lines and the galley complete the closed safety loop of main camp. The "SPOT2" (South Pole Traverse 2) encampment is in the top right.

Overlooking the drilling platform of the WISSARD project at subglacial Lake Whillans, Antarctica.

More than 1000 meters of coiled neon green fiber-optic cable will provide the information link to submersible cameras deployed into subglacial Lake Whillans.

From left to right: Ken Mankoff, Robin Bolsey (obscured in red), Alberto Behar, John Priscu, Slawek Tulaczyk and Jill Mikucki operating the "Mother Ship" at subglacial Lake Whillans.

Looking through the "moon pool" into the borehole. From the drilling deck to the surface of ancient subglacial Lake Whillans lie more than 800 meters of ice. A remote, high pressure camera waits to be lowered into the borehole to provide a live feed of the waters below.

Chad Carpenter preparing the "moon pool" ultraviolet radiation container. Every instrument that is lowered into the hole is sanitized in an enclosed laboratory and packed in plastic containing hydrogen peroxide solution, then transferred to the drilling deck and lowered through the moon pool before entering the subglacial waters.

Members of the WISSARD Team celebrate the successful deployment of the "mother ship" camera and probe down the borehole to Lake Whillans.

John Priscu transfers a Nisken bottle with water samples from the borehole to the laboratory.

WISSARD principle investigators (from left) Slawek Tulaczyk, John Priscu and Ross Powell negotiate which science projects will get priority access down the borehole into subglacial Lake Whillans.

Microbiologists Carlo Barbante (left) and Andrew Mitchell in Antarctica.

Andrew Mitchell preparing the first samples from subglacial Lake Whillans.

Samples from subglacial Lake Whillans are preserved in an ice cave just outside of the WISSARD laboratories.

See more DISCOVER Antarctica dispatches: 

Dirt Samples Retrieved From Antarctic Lake Whillans

Scientists First Glimpse Interior of an Antarctic Subglacial Lake

First Evidence of Life in Antarctic Subglacial Lake