The distribution of cosmic rays on the surface of the Earth is not uniform. So we want to study cosmic rays in a number of locations if we want to understand them. There are many facilities over the globe that study cosmic rays. However, the locations near the poles are particularly important because charged particles coming from the sun can be deflected toward poles by the Earth’s magnetic field (for more on how this happens see http://galacticinteractions.scientopia.org/2012/02/09/charged-particles-and-magnetic-fields/ ). So Antarctica is the perfect place to study them. This is one of the reasons why the Neutron Monitors are the longest running continuous scientific experiment on the continent of Antarctica. This gives you some idea of the variety of scientific disciplines that take place at the poles. Many people would easily guess that there is a lot of exciting climate science or biological studies taking place at the poles. But there is some important physics and cutting edge astronomy happening there too.