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A thermal engineering analysis of the Mars Pathfinder MOx chemical cell was performed to determine the feasibility of raising the temperature of the soil and air cells to operating conditions using passive heating in the Mars environment. A critical 10° C rise in the soil sensor above the ground temperature is needed to activate the MOx chemical cell. Little relative spacecraft power is available to heat the instrument to its desired surface operating temperature. Realistic analytical bounds of thermal performance of the MOx chemical cell were predicted using a multi-discipline approach that consisted of materials, thermal, and structural analyses. The models accounted for solar heating, conduction to the ground, radiation to space, convection to the Mars atmosphere, and spacecraft power.