I've got quite a few friends currently writing code that will be in orbit within a year or two, and most of them already have quite a bit up there already. Mostly CSTOL code. Software is constantly shit on, budget-wise. The mechanical and electrical engineers take a pretty nice chunk, which is warranted, but the low-balled budgets that NASA receives and awards to contractors seem to really hit the software engineers hard. That isn't all bad though; they're the most unregulated branch of the engineering triumvirate (mechanical, electrical, software), the least subjected to QA and paperwork. Of course, that won't last. You are absolutely correct in your assertion about quality... it's all about how much money you're willing to throw at it. Unmentioned case #1 Unmentioned case #2 There are many more examples, most of which are likely classified. Hardware is important too... don't mount your velocity sensors upside down