The Mars calendar here is good: tinyurl.com/6hl2pq And you can download Mars solar clock here: tinyurl.com/55rc6n

Waning sunlight/loss of solar power will happen before ice cap reaches here. Perhaps the orbiters will watch ice cap grow.

The very low atmospheric pressure on Mars makes liquid water unstable, see is.gd/2nT6

how much power necessary to stay awake? .. uhm .. Spirit rover has survived 220-watt hr days, but with a lot of rest between work.

Solar panels generate about 2000 watt-hours of energy per sol (down from 3500 in June). So plan is to dig many samples now & then analyze.

News of my demise is premature but I appreciate the warm thoughts I plan to last many more weeks before ice & darkness win.

On permafrost ground on Earth, we still find a thin layer of unfrozen water molecules. That's 1 reason this finding is perplexing.

I'm checking the exact air v. ground temp diff, but know both are below freezing

I love a good mystery: I'm finding humidity in the atmosphere but no water molecules on the ground. What's up? tinyurl.com/5gmmch

Wow! Feeling so honored with 3 Twittie nominations! Thank you to all who submitted. Now, vote early and often: twitties.com/vote.php