Antarctica's subglacial hydrological system is a unique and still largely unexplored source of geological, paleoclimatic, and biological information that can be accessed only through direct investigation involving the sampling of water, suspended particulate matter, and bottom sediments. Of greatest scientific value are sites that have remained isolated for hundreds of thousands of years and preserve continuous sedimentary sequences containing thick deposits of ancient bottom sediments unaffected by basal glacial erosion. Such sites occur in subglacial lakes, which are key components of Antarctica’s subglacial hydrological system. The planning and implementation of direct investigations of Antarctic subglacial lakes beneath both relatively thin ice and more than 2500 m of ice remain subjects of debate because experience with such operations is limited and there is no consensus on how compliance with environmental requirements should be ensured and monitored when subglacial environments are accessed. This article synthesizes the results of interdisciplinary studies of Antarctic subglacial lakes, including their locations, depths below the ice surface, morphometric and hydrodynamic parameters, and bottom-sediment composition. Particular attention is given to the technologies and equipment used to investigate subglacial lakes, including geophysical surveys, access-borehole drilling, lake access, measurement of the water body's physical and chemical parameters, and sampling of water, bottom sediments, and suspended particulate matter. The challenges and constraints associated with investigating “stable” subglacial lakes are analyzed and discussed, and key priorities for advancing the relevant technologies and equipment are identified.

The article presents the findings from research conducted at Vostok Station during the 69th Russian Antarctic expedition. The primary goal of the research is to perform a thorough investigation of the snow-firn layer using both direct (drilling and core analysis) and indirect (georadiolocation and seismic exploration) methods. As part of the research, fundamental tasks related to the study of the structure and dynamics of the upper part of the ice sheet were addressed, as well as applied tasks aimed at justifying the depth of explosive charge placement for seismic work with the goal of conducting a detailed study of Lake Vostok and selecting the point for drilling access to the lake. Data on the microstructure and physical properties of the snow-firn layer were collected. The findings will allow for future improvements to the firn densification model, which is required to understand the evolution of ice grains during the early stages of metamorphism. The study's findings aided in the understanding of the structural features of the ice sheet's surface layer, allowing for more precise determination of the structural and physical characteristics of the snow-firn layer and ice, potentially leading to a better understanding of climatic and geological processes in Antarctica.

Technologies and technical means for investigation of subglacial lakes in Antarctic is a new developing scientific and technical direction, which today has no clearly established methodology. Based on the developed technology of drilling a new access well to lake Vostok and its penetration as well as analysis of existing methods and devices for bottom sediment sampling, a basic model of a sampler with a walking-type mover, capable of moving along different trajectories and operating in a wide technological range, is proposed. The proposed device model is equipped with different actuators for sampling the bottom surface with different physical and mechanical properties. Based on the presented basic model of the walking sampler, a mathematical model of the device was developed, which was based on the theoretical mechanics methods. As a result of conducted research the dependencies were obtained, which allow making a scientifically justified choice of optimal values for geometric and force parameters of the walking sampler. A conceptual design of the walking sampler has been developed, taking into account the mutual location and coupling of its main components, the overall dimensions of the delivery tool, as well as the esthetic component of the device.