> skyscraper-equivalent software As far as I know, once skyscrapers are built, they tend to stay where they are. Spacecraft, on the other hand, move around, an

> skyscraper-equivalent software As far as I know, once skyscrapers are built, they tend to stay where they are. Spacecraft, on the other hand, move around, and do so at astonishing velocities, and need to have hyper-accurate navigation and control. For skyscrapers, modeling the forces that act on the materials and the environment works on known quantities, based on thousands of years of building experience. The biggest failings with spacecraft involved the guidance and navigation systems: the ones that determine where it is, how fast it's moving and in what direction, and how and when to fire the engines to change velocity. The hard part is autonomous control, not static design.