scientists and engineers began to bore the ice-sheet to obtain water samples. Using a high-pressure hose and sterilised water at near-boiling point, they hoped to bore a passage through more than two miles of ice. The drilling process was expected to last five days and would be followed by a rapid sampling operation. Professor Siegert said that the search for life in such an extreme environment could open up possibilities for life on other worlds such as Jupiter's moon Europa. On 25 December 2012 it was announced that the project had been called off, after attempts to link two 300m-deep boreholes failed. From the principal investigator, Professor Martin Siegert:Drilling stopped after the team was unable to form the water-filled cavity 300 metres beneath the ice. This cavity was to link the main borehole with a secondary borehole used to recirculate drilling water back to the surface. On Christmas Eve we took the decision to cease our efforts to directly measure and sample Subglacial Lake Ellsworth. Although circumstances have not worked out as we would have wished, I am confident that through the huge efforts of the field team, and our colleagues in the UK, we have done as much as we possibly could have done, and I sincerely thank them all. I am also hugely grateful to the UK Natural Environment Research Council for making it possible for us to attempt the direct exploration of subglacial Antarctica. Sixteen years ago, we hypothesised that deep-water subglacial lakes are viable habitats for life, and contain important records of ice and climate history. For now, these hypotheses remain untested. Once back in the UK I will gather our consortium to seek ways in which our research efforts may continue. I remain confident that we will unlock the secrets of Lake Ellsworth in coming seasons.The first borehole was drilled to a depth of 300m and then left at that depth for 12 hours to create the cavity. The second, main borehole (located 2m away from the first) was then drilled to 300m depth and should have immediately connected with this cavity. This main borehole would then continue through the cavity and down to the lake while the first borehole would be used to recirculate water back to the surface using a submersible pump. In this way, the ice cavity can be used to balance the level of water in the boreholes and hence balance