NASA’s Code Survival Guide: 10 Rules That Stop Spaceships from Becoming Space Junk

Let’s talk about the coding guidelines NASA uses to stop your future Mars vacation from turning into a Don’t Look Up sequel. Spoiler: They’re stricter than your ex’s Spotify playlist rules.

So, NASA’s Jet Propulsion Lab (JPL) has this list of 10 coding commandments for mission-critical software. Think of it as the Tenet of programming—except instead of time inversion, you get recursion bans and zero tolerance for spaghetti code. Here’s the breakdown, minus the rocket science jargon:

1. Control Flow Simplicity Only

No goto, recursion, or callback ping-pong. Your code should flow like a Taylor Swift chorus, not a Christopher Nolan plot. If a function starts looking like a Dark timeline diagram, you’ve failed.

2. Loops Need Training Wheels

Every loop must have a fixed upper bound. Infinite loops? Those are for TikTok scrolls, not spacecraft. If your while(true) isn’t a process scheduler, rewrite it or pray Elon doesn’t tweet about you.

3. Dynamic Memory? After 10 AM? Never.

Heap allocations post-initialization are forbidden. You preallocate everything upfront, like meal-prepping for a year-long space mission. Forget malloc()—NASA codes like they’re stuck in 1995, but with fewer segfaults.

4. Functions Shorter Than a Tinder Bio

Keep functions under 60 lines. If it’s longer than a microwave manual, split it. Uncle Bob approves, but only grudgingly.

5. Assert Like You’re in a Courtroom Drama

Two assertions per function minimum. Every “this should never happen” edge case gets a spotlight. Bonus: If your code survives fuzzing tests, you’ve basically won Squid Game.

6. Variables on a Need-to-Know Basis

Declare variables in the tightest scope possible. Global variables are the Morrissey of coding—nobody wants that energy in their program.

7. Check Every Return Value Like It’s a Crypto Transaction

Ignoring a return value is like ignoring a “check engine” light. JPL’s devs would rather debug 10,000 printf() checks than let a spaceship pull a HAL 9000.

8. Preprocessor Macros? Hard Pass.

Macros are the glitter of coding—fun until they’re everywhere. NASA bans anything fancier than #include. Conditional compilation? Only if you enjoy testing 1,024 code versions.

9. Pointers: One Dereference Only

Function pointers are verboten. JPL treats pointers like IKEA furniture instructions: If you need more than one layer of interpretation, you’re doing it wrong.

10. Compiler Warnings Are Gospel

Code must compile with zero warnings, always. Static analyzers are your overachieving lab partner—annoying, but they’ll save you from becoming a Final Destination meme.

Why This Matters

These rules aren’t just for avoiding “404: Mars Lander Not Found” errors. They’re about writing code so reliable, it makes your grandma’s 30-year-old microwave look flaky. NASA’s logic? If your software controls a nuclear reactor (or a TikTok livestream bot), it should fail less often than a Star Wars prequel joke.

The Takeaway

You don’t need to code like you’re launching Voyager 3 to adopt these principles. Start small: Add assertions, kill recursion, and treat compiler warnings like unpaid parking tickets. Your future self—and any aliens reviewing your GitHub—will thank you.

Now go forth and code like your bugs could literally start a Mars wildfire. ??

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