The TEGA ovens are very tiny (size of an ink pen) and they are wrapped with wires to heat them and measure the temperature.

It doesn't snow here because the atmosphere is too thin. Frost accumulates on the ground because the ground is colder than the air

Sunny days and subfreezing nights. I've been digging up a few new locations, looking for places to grab more samples for the instruments.

There are seasonal trends of water vapor in Mars' atmosphere. Frost can form if enough water is present & the temp is sufficiently low.

Check out the sparkling bits of early AM frost accumulating on the mirror of my"Telltale" wind instrument (watch the X) : is.gd/1Kp0

Mission was extended through Sept. 30, so I have roughly unti Sol 120. this kind of AM frost shouldn't deter me

Also, I've used the Atomic Force Microscope to take images of Martian dust particles only one micrometer across. is.gd/1DQf

On Sol 81, I spotted frost around my landing site in AM (see: is.gd/1DQa ), and opened another TEGA oven door for a sample.

Mars is pretty cool, but this just blows me away: tinyurl.com/5tg848 Closeup views of Saturn's moon Enceladus, from Cassini on Saturn

I've tested samples in 3 ovens and have 5 more to use now & during extended mission (mission extended through Sept. 30)