CHAPTER ONE POWERED BY NUCLEAR ENERGY The nuclear submarine has been underwater for a month It is stalking a rival sub The fresh air to run its engine It must surface every few second sub is powered by diesel fuel It needs weeks But the first sub has a nuclear reactor It does not need air It can stay underwater as long as it needs to The submarine can remain hidden in the depths of the ocean Submarines that use nuclear power can travel for years without refueling 5
Inside the reactor is fuel made of uranium The reactor splits uranium atoms apart This process is called fission The reaction creates heat Water flows past the heat source It boils and turns to steam Steam then powers the whole ship The nuclear reactor works for years without refueling The limiting factor is the crew They need food and other supplies If a nuclear sub did not need a crew it could stay underwater for 25 years An Alternative Energy Source Today most of the world’s energy comes from fossil fuels These are made up of the remains of prehistoric plants and animals These fuels are USS Nautilus The world’s first nuclear submarine was the USS Nautilus The US Navy launched it on January 21 1954 The sub beat speed and distance records It was the first to cross under the icy North Pole Researchers learned a lot from it They soon built even better ships The Nautilus was declared a national historical landmark It later became a museum Visitors can tour it in Groton Connecticut 6
Coal is one of the most widely used fossil fuels commonly found underground Burning them releases energy Major fossil fuels include oil coal and natural gas Gasoline powers most of the cars now on the road It is made from oil 7
