Nature has its own way of showing its power. Lightning is a burst of highly charged particles that create enormous amounts of electricity and heat hotter than the surface of the sun. It is an indomitable force of nature. However, man has another means of power. Man's lightning is fission; nuclear fission. A powerful but tamable force that is harnessed for the clean use of our homes, our appliances and, one day, our vehicles. The lightning of man is something feared by most, but understood by few; a force that will one day replace our existing primitive means of electricity. There is a plan, something bigger than just nuclear power plants, being worked out in the minds of the geniuses. Nuclear fission may seem like a radically scientific process, but it is actually very simple and logical. Nuclear power plants use uranium, a naturally occurring element, as fuel. Basically, uranium is converted into uranium dioxide through chemical means and compressed into pellets. The pellets are placed in the tubes and then into the reaction core where the process takes place. Uranium is a radioactive element, meaning that in its natural form it is unstable and regularly releases subatomic particles. When it is in the reactor, free neutrons are released and collide with the uranium which causes it to release its neutrons causing a chain reaction. All this happens very quickly and in doing so enormous quantities of heat are released. This heat is then used to boil water into steam, turning turbines and producing electricity. There are also rods placed between the fuel rods that will absorb some of the neutrons. This is to control the amount of reactivity and heat produced (Schrock 3). Once the reaction is complete, ... middle of paper ...... this is a plan that could very well eliminate any use of fossil fuels. Nuclear power plants are an extremely safe and reliable source of clean energy. As long as safety protocol is followed, there should be no cause for concern. Coal-fired power plants are killing us only slowly; we must act now before it is too late. We must embrace new technology and use it to advance our world, as well as the world of our future generations. Works Cited Fergus, Charles. “Exploratory Questions: Are Today's Nuclear Power Plants Safe?” Psysorg (2011): 2. Web. April 10, 2011.Salvino, Robert. Personal interview by Tony Salvino. 02 04 2011. April 10, 2011.Schrock, Jonathan. "Nuclear energy: a clean and safe alternative". Goshen (1998): 6. Web. April 10, 2011. Shrognren, Elizabeth. "Are nuclear power plants safe? Environmentalists are divided." NPR (2011): 2. Web. April 10 2011.