[prisoner6]

...disable the thermostat, run the heater in manual mode...

I used to do that with my Fine French < /sarcasm > automobiles...ALL of them, each and every one. Watch the temp guage, when it gets hot, flip a switch.

prisoner6

[Jack of all Trades]

That's a perfect analogy, and the system effects will be the same for opportunity. The software would have to pay extra attention to the temperature reading, and the actual temperature might be prone to over and under shoots. That's a better solution than letting the rover turn into a door stop.

IMHO, this is taking a possible solution too far given the information released so far. Some basic investigation is required. For now, let's just hope that "power Draw" was included in the risk factor during the FMEAs. A little flexibility and redundancy may be needed to work around this situation.