Going Nuclear
The 1973 Oil Crisis helped to kick start Nuclear technology.
The Western Nations started construction program on nuclear reactors to become more independent from Arabic oil import.
The "Mad Men" produced several highly effective advertisements appealling to the National pride of the people, in an attempt to dispell the anti-nuclear sentiment of the late-60s early-70s enviromental movement.
Slogans such as "Nuclear Power is FRENCH National Power" or "Atomic Power for America" became increasingly influential as the cost of gasoline, food, electricity and the general stagflation following the 1973 oil crisis worsend. This combined with an increasingly, technologically optimistic culture following both the American and Soviet lunar landings (and early Space Stations) helped reduce the anti-nuclear movement in West Germany, the United States and France.
At the same time the soviets also started construction program on nuclear reactors to counter increase need for electric power in USSR and East Block. There had never been any organized opposition to nuclear electricity in Eastern block and Kosygin, hoping to economically rather than militarily compete with the US in fields other than merely space also supported the new energy source's promise. Although nuclear power, Supersonic Transports and space were increasinly becoming sideshows compared to Soviet investment in cybernetics, reductions in military spending neccesarily benefited many fields (some of which was wasted, some of which wasn't).
Next to Nuclear Reactors for Power production, There were several other projects.
Nuclear Power for civilian ships, the USA, France, Germany and USSR had all built several experimental commercial ships where there engines were nuclear. Following the 1973 oil crisis, fuel costs increased sufficiently to make even the government operated and run NS Savannah (the first US atomic oceanliner/cargo carrier) which was never intended make a profit, economically competitive.
After a series of long, drawn out, difficult negotiations on the Standards and Regulations on Nuclear Reactor Safety in 1978 the Treaty on use of Nuclear reactors on civilians Ships was ratified.
The First ships enter in service were German Container ships, while the french government converted the hull's of previously oil burning ocean liners.
The Japanese's built the first nuclear powered Super oil tankers some time later.
The French Ocean-liner NS FRANCE, The first converted to a Nuclear engine
Unfortunately for the industry the dream for Nuclear powered aircraft remained unrealized, All national air safety organization such as the US National Transportation Safety Board refused the idea outright. While there had been some early ideas about a nuclear-powered long range bomber in the early 1960s, these ideas never became practical about question on safety of the nuclear reactor during air crash.
On other hand things for the Nuclear Space Flight program went very well.
NASA saved the NERVA and SNAP program from attempted cancelation in 1973, needing nuclear reactors and engines including the planned NERVA Shuttle (part of the proposed Space Transportation System along with the Space Shuttle and Space Tug).
Similarly a 50 kWe reactor for the Space station and future lunar base was also funded.
The First Reactor In Flight Test (RIFT) was scheduled for 1976 with NERVA XE engine.
In the Soviet Union similar programs started which led to new Topaz nuclear reactors for space, to power satellites and Ion engines for future space tugs.
the proposed US Space Transportation System
But in hype of this "shining" new future, were dark shadows
one burning question was "How to deal with nuclear waste ?" another was the safety of nuclear reactors, a question answered on March 28, 1979, at place called Three Miles Island...
