Nuclear fission

Nuclear fission is a nuclear reaction or radioactive decay process often used for the creation of nuclear weapons early in its discovery and later as a fuel source.
==Overview==
The earliest known use of nuclear fission was in its deployment as a devastating weapon, starting with the nuclear bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.Fallout 4 intro: "War. War never changes.In the year 1945, my great-great grandfather, serving in the army, wondered when he'd get to go home to his wife and the son he'd never seen. He got his wish when the US ended World War II by dropping atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.The World awaited Armageddon; instead, something miraculous happened. We began to use atomic energy not as a weapon, but as a nearly limitless source of power.People enjoyed luxuries once thought the realm of science fiction. Domestic robots, fusion-powered cars, portable computers. But then, in the 21st century, people awoke from the American dream.Years of consumption lead to shortages of every major resource. The entire world unraveled. Peace became a distant memory. It is now the year 2077. We stand on the brink of total war, and I am afraid. For myself, for my wife, for my infant son - because if my time in the army taught me one thing: it's that war, war never changes."Citadel terminal entries; Liberty Prime operation, Historical records, Project summary While fission's first uses were as weapons, the ultimate need for alternative sources of power in light of petroleum shortages propelled both fission and fusion into mainstream power provision. Economic pressures culminated in what is best termed a nuclear economy in the United States of the 21st century, when shortages of petroleum and other resources forced the nation to switch to nuclear fission and nuclear fusion as the primary sources of energy. The transition to a greater reliance on nuclear power necessitated an increased ability to safely store its radioactive waste. Despite regulations and environmentalist movements, there was a serious disregard for safe and environmentally-friendly disposal, with nuclear waste being dumped in the wilderness with barely any containment. Nevada and its vast deserts was a popular choice,REPCONN headquarters; Tour messages, "Radioactive Waste?" and "Nuclear Family!"Arcade Gannon: "Nuclear waste disposal. Pre-War, people figured there was so much desert in Nevada, you might as well turn it into a big dumping ground. People didn't like it, but they weren't about to give up easy access to power, not with all of the petroleum drying up."(Arcade Gannon's dialogue) while Mass Fusion dumped its nuclear waste locally in Massachusetts.Mass Fusion disposal siteMass Fusion containment shed
==Uses==
With petroleum becoming a prohibitively expensive commodity and oil restricted for strategic uses, fission became the primary source of power until the advent of nuclear fusion in 2066.Fallout Bible 0: "2066 Summer Adding further insult to the Chinese-American relations, the first crude fusion cell is unveiled, one of the results of the Power Armor project. Devices designed for the fusion cell begin to be manufactured. Incorporating fusion power into the general US infrastructure begins, but the process is too slow to supply power to the regions that need it. Nearly eleven years later, few sections of the United States were supplied with fusion power." Fission was used widely in a broad variety of applications, including:
* Nuclear weapons: Fission could produce extremely powerful explosions in a relatively compact package, at the cost of generating nuclear fallout. A fission-based weapon is found in the Mojave Wasteland.The Big One: "You quickly disassemble the core components of the bomb's fission reactor." The United States also developed man-portable nuclear catapult, the M42 Fat Man, capable of delivering miniature nuclear munitions at range.M42 Fat Man
* Power generation: Home nuclear reactors were built under the "Fission Pal" brand.Cambridge Police Station terminal entries; Cambridge Police evidence terminal, CASE 772-RE: Neilson Reckless Endangerment Logs Vaults also used fission generators for power generation.Piper Wright: ""(Piper Wright's dialogue) 
* Nuclear propulsion: With petroleum shortages, most automotive traffic ground to a halt. Alternative solutions were explored, and fission-based propulsion systems became popular. Nuclear engines were explored for use in space travel, by companies such as REPCONN Aerospace,The Courier: "Research and development."Tour guide: " "(Tour guide's dialogue) but it was the automotive industry that adopted the technology most widely. Brands such as Corvega effectively monopolized the market with their nuclear vehicles. Fission-based engines and batteries proliferated and were commonplace.Pioneer Scout camp terminal entries; Pioneer badge exam terminal, Chemist: "Before our vehicles ran on the fission battery, we used a totally different source of power. What chemical did we used to use to power our vehicles?" After the Great War, most fission-powered vehicles were volatile, potentially exploding if struck.Hancock: ""(Hancock's dialogue) Piper Wright: ""(Piper Wright's dialogue) 
* Portable power sources: The fission battery was widely used in robotics and other fields, especially in older Protectron and Mister Handy models.Fission battery After the Great War, fission batteries became a popular choice among wastelanders as a cheap, readily available source of power for jury rigging electric systems, especially restoring pre-War street lights to life and providing night-time illumination.A fission battery is used to jury rig the elevator with power during Reilly's Rangers and commonly found hooked to streetlights in Fallout: New Vegas.
==See also==
* Nuclear fusion
==References==
Non-game
Category:Fallout setting
zh:核裂变