In the last decade the notion of large subglacial lakes in Antarctica has attracted increasing attention. Lake Vostok is by far the largest of approximately 63 subglacial lakes now known in Antarctica, and the one about which most is known. The possible exploration of Lake Vostok was the subject of a very successful workshop held in Cambridge, UK, in September, 1999, sponsored by the Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research (SCAR) with the support of many others, and organized and hosted by the British Antarctic Survey.