Mars Polar Lander a Miser When it Comes to Electricity

Run the clothes dryer for 15 minutes. Turn on a window-unit air conditioner for 45 minutes to cool down the living room. Keep a pot boiling on an electric stove for an hour. Any one of these mundane activities requires about 1.5 kilowatt-hours of electricity — that represents the total amount of power available each day to the Mars Polar Lander during the first part of its mission.