Hackaday Links: July 16, 2023

Last week we noticed an attempt to fix a hardware problem with software, which backfired quite dramatically for Ford when they tried to counter the tendency for driveshafts to fall off some of their cars by automatically applying the electric parking brake.< /p>

This week's story is a little different, but still illustrates how software and hardware can interact in unpredictable ways, especially in the automotive realm. The story centers around a 2015 Optima recall for a software update to the knock sensor detection system. We can't find the specifics, but if this recall on a similar Kia model in the same model year lineup and a class action lawsuit are any indication, the update appears to have made the KSDS more susceptible to worn connecting rod damage. , and forced the car into "rescue mode" to limit engine damage if knocking is detected.

A clever solution to a mechanical problem? Maybe, but because the Kia owner in the story claims not to have received the recall notice by mail, she received no warning when her bearings began to wear. The result: a $6,000 bill for a new engine, which she was forced to pay out of pocket. Admittedly, this software fix isn't as egregious as Ford's workaround for weak driveshaft mounting bolts, and it may very well have been a lack of maintenance on the part of of the car owner. But if you're a Kia mechanical engineer, wouldn't your first instinct have been to fix the problem causing the connecting rod bearing wear, rather than hiding the problem with software?

Some people loved it, and a lot of space nerds really hated it. Either way, it's hard to argue with the fact that NASA's space shuttle program resulted in some pretty amazing engineering, and artifacts from the program are highly sought after as museum pieces. And perhaps no artifact is more prized than the three remaining orbiters, one of which will soon be the focus of a unique and awe-inspiring exhibit. Endeavour (OV-105), which moved to the California Science Center in Los Angeles in 2012 with much deserved fanfare, is going to be displayed in a full stack vertical configuration. The orbiter will be reunited with the ET-94 external tank and a pair of solid rocket boosters for the first time since its last flight in 2011. The 20-story stack will be erected over the next approximately six months, after which a new wing of the museum will be built around it. This will be the first time a complete Space Shuttle assembly has been attempted outside of a NASA facility. We can't wait to see how it all comes together; this will make for some interesting crane jobs.

Also in space news, we just learned that a US Senate subcommittee cut the budget for the Mars Sample Return mission. And dramatically so; NASA wanted $949 million to fund work on the fiscal year 2024 mission, but senators offered only a third of it. NASA has already spent $1.74 billion on the Sample Return mission, which was supposed to fly in 2028, but it looks like it will slip, angering lawmakers enough to threaten to reallocate the $300 million to Artemis if NASA can't prove that the entire Sample Return mission won't cost more than $5.3 billion. We've covered some of the ideas NASA has for collecting and returning the sample tubes that Perseverance leaves on the surface of Mars; looks like they might have to scale things down a bit.

Is that it? Are we finally in the future of flying cars? Judging by recent buzz, we'd be inclined to say yes, that is, if we weren't living in a reality-based world with decades of observing how poorly humans handle the maneuver of a vehicle in just two dimensions. But still, we see a lot of stories about the FAA approval of the Alef Aeronautics Model A flying car. It's important to note that this certification is for testing only, so it's not like these things are going to roll...