• Business
  • Life
  • Celebrity
  • Sport
  • Blog
  • Auto
  • Tech
Stories from SWNS
Advertisement
  • Home
  • News
    The Führer’s Prophecy by Brian Klein 

    The Führer’s Prophecy by Brian Klein 

    How to find safe non-gamstop casino games

    How to find safe non-gamstop casino games

    Conservation zoos ‘have powerful potential to reverse extinction’

    Conservation zoos ‘have powerful potential to reverse extinction’

    Royal Navy aviators raising cash to rescue stray puppy

    Royal Navy aviators raising cash to rescue stray puppy

    “I got a new haircut – now I look exactly like Frodo Baggins from Lord of the Rings”

    “I got a new haircut – now I look exactly like Frodo Baggins from Lord of the Rings”

    £6.8billion turtle-shaped floating city unveiled

    £6.8billion turtle-shaped floating city unveiled

    Trending Tags

    • Trump Inauguration
    • United Stated
    • White House
    • Market Stories
    • Election Results
  • Business
  • Life
    • Celebrity
  • Tech
    Why Is Cloud Storage Migration Best Left To Professionals?

    Why Is Cloud Storage Migration Best Left To Professionals?

    How Tech Is Empowering Small Businesses And The Economy 

    How Tech Is Empowering Small Businesses And The Economy 

    The Technology Behind Forex Trading – And its Wider Impact

    The Technology Behind Forex Trading – And its Wider Impact

    Must-Have iPad Accessories At PITAKA Black Friday Sale Event

    Must-Have iPad Accessories At PITAKA Black Friday Sale Event

    How To Select The Best Lead Generation Software For Your Business: Our Top Tips

    How To Select The Best Lead Generation Software For Your Business: Our Top Tips

    Best Technologies in the Gambling Industry That Are Worth Your Attention

    Best Technologies in the Gambling Industry That Are Worth Your Attention

    Trending Tags

    • Nintendo Switch
    • CES 2017
    • Playstation 4 Pro
    • Mark Zuckerberg
  • Review

    The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild gameplay on the Nintendo Switch

    Shadow Tactics: Blades of the Shogun Review

    macOS Sierra review: Mac users get a modest update this year

    Hands on: Samsung Galaxy A5 2017 review

    The Last Guardian Playstation 4 Game review

    Intel Core i7-7700K ‘Kaby Lake’ review

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • News
    The Führer’s Prophecy by Brian Klein 

    The Führer’s Prophecy by Brian Klein 

    How to find safe non-gamstop casino games

    How to find safe non-gamstop casino games

    Conservation zoos ‘have powerful potential to reverse extinction’

    Conservation zoos ‘have powerful potential to reverse extinction’

    Royal Navy aviators raising cash to rescue stray puppy

    Royal Navy aviators raising cash to rescue stray puppy

    “I got a new haircut – now I look exactly like Frodo Baggins from Lord of the Rings”

    “I got a new haircut – now I look exactly like Frodo Baggins from Lord of the Rings”

    £6.8billion turtle-shaped floating city unveiled

    £6.8billion turtle-shaped floating city unveiled

    Trending Tags

    • Trump Inauguration
    • United Stated
    • White House
    • Market Stories
    • Election Results
  • Business
  • Life
    • Celebrity
  • Tech
    Why Is Cloud Storage Migration Best Left To Professionals?

    Why Is Cloud Storage Migration Best Left To Professionals?

    How Tech Is Empowering Small Businesses And The Economy 

    How Tech Is Empowering Small Businesses And The Economy 

    The Technology Behind Forex Trading – And its Wider Impact

    The Technology Behind Forex Trading – And its Wider Impact

    Must-Have iPad Accessories At PITAKA Black Friday Sale Event

    Must-Have iPad Accessories At PITAKA Black Friday Sale Event

    How To Select The Best Lead Generation Software For Your Business: Our Top Tips

    How To Select The Best Lead Generation Software For Your Business: Our Top Tips

    Best Technologies in the Gambling Industry That Are Worth Your Attention

    Best Technologies in the Gambling Industry That Are Worth Your Attention

    Trending Tags

    • Nintendo Switch
    • CES 2017
    • Playstation 4 Pro
    • Mark Zuckerberg
  • Review

    The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild gameplay on the Nintendo Switch

    Shadow Tactics: Blades of the Shogun Review

    macOS Sierra review: Mac users get a modest update this year

    Hands on: Samsung Galaxy A5 2017 review

    The Last Guardian Playstation 4 Game review

    Intel Core i7-7700K ‘Kaby Lake’ review

No Result
View All Result
Stories from SWNS
No Result
View All Result
Home News

Antarctic drilling project in search for life in jeopardy after equipment failure

by
December 18, 2012
in News
1
A scientist on the £7m project to drill beneath the Antarctic which could now be abandoned

A scientist on the £7m project to drill beneath the Antarctic which could now be abandoned

0
SHARES
37
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

A £7million project to drill beneath two miles of Antarctic ice in search of undiscovered life hanged in the balance today – after a major equipment failure.

The malfunction could mean that the project, which took 16 years to plan, would have to be abandoned, potentially wasting millions of pounds of tax payers money.

The 12 scientists, from the British Antarctic Survey, are now in a race against time to complete the mission before the borehole reseals as they only have enough fuel or one attempt.

A scientist on the £7m project to drill beneath the Antarctic which could now be abandoned
A scientist on the £7m project to drill beneath the Antarctic which could now be abandoned

Expedition leader Chris Hill confirmed they were past the point of no return and feared the water would re-freeze in the pipes and borehole, halting the programme.

He said: “We are now committed, having gone past the point of no return.

“If anything stops working now, water could freeze in the pipes and the whole programme could come to a halt.”

Drill deployment begins in search of life in the freezing temperatures
Drill deployment begins in search of life in the freezing temperatures
Flags at the drill site, where a malfunction could mean that the project, which took 16 years to plan, could be abandoned
Flags at the drill site, where a malfunction could mean that the project, which took 16 years to plan, could be abandoned

 

 

Prof Martin Siegert, chief scientist of the project from the University of Bristol, added: “The technical difficulties are something that are not unfamiliar in Antarctica – it’s a hostile environment and very difficult to do things smoothly.

“The good news is that we found the fault relatively early on in our deployment system and so we have quite a lot of fuel that is left remaining.

“If we didn’t have that of course we wouldn’t be able to continue any further.”

The project, which has never been attempted by anyone else, will see the scientists drill more than two miles to reach the ice-locked Lake Ellsworth where, in the remote environment, they believe life may exist.

The liquid water lake, which is kept warm by heat from geothermal springs, has been hidden from the outside world for more than half a million years.

The team of explorers and scientists taking part in the mission
The team of explorers and scientists taking part in the mission

 

The team are now in a race against time to complete the mission before the borehole reseals as they only have enough fuel for one attempt
The team are now in a race against time to complete the mission before the borehole reseals as they only have enough fuel for one attempt

In the £7 million project the team planned to fire 90 degrees celsius water at the ice to drill more than two miles beneath the surface.

But when they tried to reach the lake the controller circuit on the boiler’s primary burner failed.

A secondary burner was fitted and the team worked around the clock to shovel snow to feed the hot-water drill.

However just days later that burner also failed leaving the BAS team with no choice but to wait for another replacement as their bore hole, and equipment, slowly began to freeze shut.

In a statement released by the team they said: “During the weekend a technical issue halted hot water drilling at subglacial Lake Ellsworth.

“It is too early at this stage to say what this means for the project.

“The engineering team is currently investigating the issue.”

Chris, who spoke to BBC News, said that the boiler was currently running on a back-up electric element which is not powerful enough to heat the water to the temperature needed for drilling.

He said: “We are also vulnerable if this element fails, we will have to fully drain down the system – and start over from scratch – this would be a big deal.”

No team has ever attempted to drill so deeply through the polar ice sheet before and it is thought that the project may revolutionise the understanding of the resilience of life.

If the team can prove the microbes exist it would have implications for astrophysicists’ predictions for where life could exist on other planets.

Ellsworth forms one of more than 400 sub-glacial lakes in Antarctica and is equivalent in size to the size of Lake Windermere, Cumbria, measuring 7.5 miles long by 1.8 miles wide.

Previous Post

Jingle Hell! Pensioner has had Silent Night playing in her head for TWO YEARS

Next Post

Liverpool star Suso fined £10,000 for branding teammate Jose Enrique ‘gay’ on Twitter

Next Post
Liverpool player Suso has been fined £10k for branding a team mate 'gay' on Twitter

Liverpool star Suso fined £10,000 for branding teammate Jose Enrique 'gay' on Twitter

Comments 1

  1. Anonymous says:
    10 years ago

    this is great. very interesting story. I cant stand conspiracies but does anyone else think all this effort for scientific exploration seems a bit uh far fetched. First the Russians drill, then the British and next the Americans. I wouldn’t be surprised at all if they were also racing to find oil under the Antarctic ice. This type of expedition could pave to way for space mission to Europa which would be super cool but do you think thats what is really going on? Doubtful. I bet the funding can be traced back to oil companies.

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Stay Connected test

  • 121 Followers
  • 60k Followers
  • 190k Subscribers
  • 23.8k Followers
  • 99 Subscribers
  • Trending
  • Comments
  • Latest
Women love cheesy chat up lines, a study has revealed

Top 20 cheesy chat-up lines ladies really love

March 5, 2014
The top ten most well-known bingo phrases

The top ten most well-known bingo phrases

January 21, 2014
The horses thunder towards a jump at the Grand National

Amazing racehorse names which never made it

April 23, 2014
HGH Injections Brands: Which Ones Are Best?

HGH Injections Brands: Which Ones Are Best?

January 14, 2019
Chris Fear, 33, outside the Coral betting shop which is refusing to pay out on his 485/1 winning bet

Boycott Coral! Bookmaker faces protest after refusing to pay out on a football fan’s 485/1 bet

184
Women love cheesy chat up lines, a study has revealed

Top 20 cheesy chat-up lines ladies really love

147
Women feel invisible to the opposite sex at the age of 51, researchers found

Women begin feeling invisible to men ‘when they turn 51’

138
UKIP candidate claims Jews murdered each other in the Holocaust in masterplan to create State of Israel

UKIP candidate claims Jews murdered each other in the Holocaust in masterplan to create State of Israel

105
Why are UK mortgage approvals at an all-time low?

Why are UK mortgage approvals at an all-time low?

March 28, 2023
Mobile gaming vs PC gaming: Which is better for playing casino games?

Mobile gaming vs PC gaming: Which is better for playing casino games?

March 19, 2023
The Führer’s Prophecy by Brian Klein 

The Führer’s Prophecy by Brian Klein 

March 16, 2023
6 Benefits of Customs Clearance Services

6 Benefits of Customs Clearance Services

March 10, 2023

Recent News

Why are UK mortgage approvals at an all-time low?

Why are UK mortgage approvals at an all-time low?

March 28, 2023
Mobile gaming vs PC gaming: Which is better for playing casino games?

Mobile gaming vs PC gaming: Which is better for playing casino games?

March 19, 2023
The Führer’s Prophecy by Brian Klein 

The Führer’s Prophecy by Brian Klein 

March 16, 2023
6 Benefits of Customs Clearance Services

6 Benefits of Customs Clearance Services

March 10, 2023
SWNS

SWNS all rights reserved. Copyright 2020

Follow Us

Browse by Category

  • Auto
  • Blog
  • Business
  • Celebrity
  • Gaming
  • Life
  • Lifestyle
  • News
  • Pictures
  • Property
  • Review
  • Sport
  • SWNS
  • Tech
  • Travel
  • Uncategorized

Recent News

Why are UK mortgage approvals at an all-time low?

Why are UK mortgage approvals at an all-time low?

March 28, 2023
Mobile gaming vs PC gaming: Which is better for playing casino games?

Mobile gaming vs PC gaming: Which is better for playing casino games?

March 19, 2023
  • About
  • Advertise
  • Privacy & Policy
  • Contact

Real Fix is a trading style of South West News Service Limited.
Copyright © 2020 South West News Service Limited.

No Result
View All Result
  • Business
  • Life
  • Celebrity
  • Sport
  • Blog
  • Auto
  • Tech

Real Fix is a trading style of South West News Service Limited.
Copyright © 2020 South West News Service Limited.