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W. J. Markiewicz (MPAE), K. J. Kossacki (MPAE,UW), K. J. Kossacki (UW), H. U. Keller (MPAE)
Mars Polar Lander (MPL) is planned to be launched in January 1999 and to arrive at Mars in December 1999. MPL landing site is at the edge of the South polar cap region. The lander will be equipped with a Robotic Arm (RA) capable of digging a small trench. It is to be expected that the facets of such a trench will be colder then the average surrounding surface. 2D+ thermal calculations are used to estimate the diurnal variations of the temperature within a trench. It is found that at least on the bottom of the trench, water will condense independently of time of day. It is also found that if the thermal conductivity of the Martian soil is near the minimum expected value the condensation of the atmospheric carbon dioxide should also be possible.
The author(s) of this abstract have provided an email address for comments about the abstract: markiewicz@linmpi.mpg.de