On Fri, 16 Jan 2004 22:47:21 GMT, (Henry Spencer)
wrote:

The problem is not so much cold in itself, but the huge temperature swings
during the day-night cycle. The total swing from daily high to daily low
there is typically 80degC -- like going from a hot day in Mojave to a cold
winter's night in Alberta.

The electronics won't see the full extent of that right away, because they
have electrical heat during the night... but as Mars moves farther from
the Sun, and Sun angles at the landing site deterioriate with seasonal
change, and the rover's battery gradually wears out, less and less energy
will be available at night. And so the electronics will see increasing
temperature swings, and increasing thermal-contraction stresses between
different materials. Fairly soon, things will start to crack.

That makes sense, though I'm surprised it isn't possible to find
materials that don't crack when put through heating/cooling cycles. Or
is it the case that it could be done, but would cost more than it'd be
worth?

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