Hot water drilling operations started today! The first step was to drill the pilot hole to 82 m and install the well pump, which was completed by the end of the day. The well pump is used to re-circulate water for making the main hole all the way to the seafloor. During the day, the scientists continued preparations for the start of our initial science activities prior to AIDD drilling, which will include collecting a water column sample, deploying a CTD, and collecting one or more gravity cores after the hot water hole through the ice shelf is completed. For inspiration, one of our scientists shared photos of some of the gravity cores collected during the KIS-2 campaign in 2021! (more photos see Gallery)