The F-1 engine was developed in response to a mid-50s requirement, and itself borrowed heavily from 40s Nazi technology. It does seem historically accurate to

The F-1 engine was developed in response to a mid-50s requirement, and itself borrowed heavily from 40s Nazi technology. It does seem historically accurate to say that governments don't successfully complete state-of-the-art mega-projects absent war or an existential treat. I expect those are the only things powerful enough to cut through the bureaucratic resistance to progress.