Big shiny metal god reaches sky with flames shooting out of its ass!

[hunter]

13. We forgot how to make a Saturn 5

Literally.

Engineers retired, "institutional knowledge" was lost, tooling scrapped or dispersed.

The Saturn 5 was largely designed on paper, using slide rules to do the math.

It's still the most powerful launch system ever built.

Microfilms of the blueprints and technical specs still exist but it would take a huge effort to recreate something like that. In any case, incorporating modern materials, control systems, etc., into the design would make it a different machine entirely.

Imagine putting fuel injection and a modern ignition system on a 1965 Mustang. You'd still have a car that drove like a 1965 Mustang. There's no comparison between that and a modern car with computer-designed suspension, safety systems, etc. The last time I drove an old Mustang our regular car was a 1984 Toyota Camry. In comparison to the Camry the Mustang felt very rough, unsafe, and unstable. The first time I drove a Mustang, back when I first got my drivers license, I remembered driving the same car and thinking it was awesome.