This seemed to have a Douglas Adams feel to it, and I like how you incorporated a little bit of Schrödinger’s cat into the story.

A crack team of the brightest minds in the universe have finally completed their ten-month assessment of the Tempus Arca. They issued this statement on the cause of its malfunction at a press conference earlier today.

“Apparently some smartass wrote ‘transmogrifier’ on the side.”

(note: Lookit me! I can use internet translators!)