McMurdo is on the edge of the continent, at sea level. It's harsh, but not extreme like the things further inland, such as Amundsen-Scott (at the geographic po

McMurdo is on the edge of the continent, at sea level. It's harsh, but not extreme like the things further inland, such as Amundsen-Scott (at the geographic pole), or Concordia (over 10,000 feet elevation in the middle of nowhere). Those look closer to the spaceships you envision.