Nuclear Fission: from E. Fermi to Adm. Rickover, to industrial exploitation, to nowadays challenges

Nuclear fission energy reached a multiple bifurcation point: it may continue to decline in some countries, it may expand in other countries, large reactors may extinguish, small and/or micro reactors may exponentially grow in number, sodium fast reactors and innovative reactors may have a bright future or no future at all, thorium fuel might be used or might remain embedded into the terrestrial crust. Then, the purpose for the paper is to orient young generation of scientists. A historical excursus of nuclear era is given starting from the discovery of the nucleus and then moving to Einstein and Fermi, to Rickover and to the industry that led the exploitation of the nuclear fission energy for electricity production. The negative role of the web and the Global World Wide Market (GWWM) in creating cages for the thoughts of scientists is portrayed. The nowadays challenges for nuclear technology are discussed. Selected conclusions are: a) nuclear waste is not a technological problem; b) recently discovered nuclear fuel weakness and reactor complexity constitutes a potential threat for safety; c) regulatory framework needs innovation; d) small and micro reactors shall be deployed if large nuclear units survive; e) a new technological safety barrier appears necessary.