Construction projects. Feasibility in use of nukes for road constructions, mountain tunnels, lakes widening canals etc. Operation plowshare was the name given to the pilot studies into use of nuclear weapons for peaceful purposes.
Safe to say, there was limited benfit over usual techniques and the issue of fallout/area contamination deemed not worth it.
Interestingly the soviet union successfully used them to stop a number of oil/gas field fires by calculating the blast radius and using them to collapse vents feeding the blazes.
For space propulsion ignition of bombs for a pluses based system was considered. Check out "project Orion". Technically feasible but politically a no go most likely even today. Again issues with global fallout etc.
Looks pretty sleek and 50s to me. A car powered by a mini fission reactor, unsubstantiated rumors that the Feds were sponsoring it, this car really should be a mainstay of scifi.
It would've been quiet, fuel efficient, and deadly as hell. Also very fast.
This question might garner more attention in /r/askscience for the nuclear what ifs.
