Katalyst Space's commercial mission to rescue NASA's Swift gamma-ray observatory is recovering from a near-total failure. The robotic vehicle tumbled out of control, lost contact with ground controllers, performed an autonomous hard reset after 24 hours of silence, then overheated and burned out the reaction wheel control circuitry. Engineers have now repurposed the craft's xenon electric thrusters, originally designed for orbit-raising, to gimbal thrust and counteract the spin. It is working, slowly.
Separately: a $400 Kickstarter device called EGOR promises to crack and cook eggs autonomously, with scheduled start times. It retails at 50% off during the campaign. The Juicero comparison is worth reading in the original because the author draws a precise functional distinction between proprietary-input machines and open-input ones. The argument is sharper than it sounds. Also worth noting: 9to5Google has published leaked images of the Google Pixel Tag, an oval Bluetooth tracker built for Google's existing Find Hub network, expected to launch alongside the Pixel 11.
The original article also links to USS Cod Submarine Memorial footage exploring hidden infrastructure aboard a WWII Gato-class submarine, specifically the dedicated space required to house and maintain the vacuum tube radio systems critical to wartime operations. Each of these items is brief but the Swift recovery story is the one to follow. Check the Ars Technica source interview for the engineering specifics on thruster gimbaling.
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