Abstract: A thermal management system is disclosed by selectively breaking the thermal connection between the heat sinks and the electronics being cooled. This preserves the excess heat generated by the electronics rather than dissipating it, thereby maintaining the electronics at or above the minimum specified operating temperature during exposure to extremely cold environments. The thermal connection can be broken in several ways including an electrically controlled device such as an solenoid or via a device that harnesses a phenomenon of the same low temperatures that is the ultimate source of the problem to be solved. A preferred example of such a device is a solidification engine. A solidification engine produces reversible motion based upon the tendency of certain substances to expand with significant force upon freezing and to contract upon melting.