What I find interesting about knots is that different sub-cultures have settled on so different knots. Scouts join rope with a sheet bend, while climbers pretty much would use a double fisherman's knot, etc. ad infinitum.
Bingo! From article:
"Knots are still used in this high-tech arena because cable lacing has long been the preferred cable management technique in aerospace applications. That it remains so to this day is a testament to the effectiveness of properly chosen knots tied by skilled craftspeople."
If there's a better way (not saying there isn't!), prove it. Knots 'just work', use a minimal amount of material (weight), and are reliable low-tech proven over ages.
Of course, effectiveness / reliability depends heavily on "properly chosen knots" (+materials) and "tied by people who know what they're doing". I'd think NASA has that covered.
Reef knots without the loop can also be capsized for quick untying. It is a dangerous property of that knot for some situations, and a reason some people think is shouldn't be taught as a general purpose knot. But it can be useful in specific cases like in reefing, as its name suggests.