  To detect the tiny flux of ultra-high energy neutrinos from active galactic
nuclei or from interactions of highest energy cosmic rays with the microwave
background photons needs target masses of the order of several hundred cubic
kilometers. Clear Antarctic ice has been discussed as a favorable material for
hybrid detection of optical, radio and acoustic signals from ultra-high energy
neutrino interactions. To apply these technologies at the adequate scale
hundreds of holes have to be drilled in the ice down to depths of about 2500 m
to deploy the corresponding sensors. To do this on a reasonable time scale is
impossible with presently available tools. Remote drilling and deployment
schemes have to be developed to make such a detector design reality. After a
short discussion of the status of modern hot water drilling we present here a
design of an autonomous melting probe, tested 50 years ago to reach a depth of
about 1000 m in Greenland ice. A scenario how to build such a probe today with
modern technologies is sketched. A first application of such probes could be
the deployment of calibration equipment at any required position in the ice, to
study its optical, radio and acoustic transmission properties.
