It's a delicate environment, but somewhat protected from the harsher surrounding mountains and the Antarctic Ice Sheet it provides a unique opportunity for intense study. The National Science Foundation maintains a long term ecological research site in the McMurdo Dry Valleys to study the area and ecosystem. The area is also something of a practice facility. The cold, arid conditions provide a fairly good simulation of the surface of Mars. NASA engineers have used the Dry Valleys to test equipment and operational techniques in preparation for a chance to try their designs on the Red Planet.
Ice pushes up against the slopes of the hills, nudging bits of debris and surface material along.
Left behind, however, are the geological artifacts that most interest scientists, including fragments of meteorites. Extending to the upper right from the research station is a long line. It's a highway of sorts, heading to a now abandoned antenna facility. The bright band below the main station is the airfield for the facility 14,000 feet long. Now for the first time they've been mapped in their entirety.