Why We Cannot Use Normal Ball Pen In Space

As the Russian cosmonaut Sergei Kud-Sverchkov explained in a space video for the Russian space agency Roscosmos, Soviet astronauts used crayons in the past, but NASA already used them when they began to use Fisher space pens. Reyes shared the original order for NASA's original order of 400 pins from Fisher with Reuters (see below).

Russian cosmonaut Sergei Kud-Sverchkov shows how Soviet astronauts used ordinary pencils, thick core markers and sharpies. At a time when NASA was involved in a controversy over pencils, Paul C. Fisher of Fisher Pen designed a ballpoint pen that would work in space. The Space Pen was developed by Paul Fisher from the Fisher Pen Company and financed by NASA, and it is still used today by Russians and Americans.

The ballpoint pen that could work in space did not only work in space but also in weightless environments, underwater and other liquid temperatures from 50 F to 400 F. Fisher Pen Co. invested $1 million to fund the design and patented the pen itself. Pens that work in microgravity, under water and at extreme temperatures were developed in the 1960s for use in space.

To understand why NASA was so interested in a working space pen, one must understand that pencils are not suitable for space travel. NASA is said to have spent millions of dollars developing a pen that could write in microgravity, while the Russians used pencils. It was a warning to look for high-tech solutions to mundane problems rather than American excesses and Russian sensitivities.

A common misconception is that, given that ballpoint penboards cannot write in microgravity, the Fisher Space Pen was developed for NASAs at a time when the Soviet Union adopted the simpler and cheaper method of using pencils owing to the unnecessary spending in the millions. The fact is that the space pen was developed with a million dollars of his own money by Paul C. Fisher, founder of Fisher Pen Company. Fisher and his company Fisher Pen invested that money in the development of what is now known as the Space Pen.

After rigorous testing, NASA decided to purchase the $400 pen for Apollo 7 mission in 1967 at a price of $6 (a 40 percent discount) to meet both the cost and safety requirements. To modify the space pen, NASA wrapped it with Velcro so that it could be attached to a wall for astronaut suits for easy access. The Soviet space programme used greased pencils and plastic slate as early replacements for wooden pencils.

Ballpoint pens are ballpoint pens that use a small rotating ball of brass, steel or tungsten carbide to distribute ink when writing. Ballpoint pens have been used in Soviet and Russian space programs as replacements for grease pens, as well as by NASA and ESA. Astronaut Walter Cunningham, the pilot of Apollo 7 lunar module, wrote with a pen while taking photos and performing flight tasks on the ninth day of the Apollo 7 mission in space.

The pens, which were preceded by pens, quills and metal fountains, used watery, dark ink, which is fed into the pen by means of capillary action. When the ink is exposed to air, it flows out of the pen, but because it does not dry out, it can clog the pen. Fisher and colleagues found that cartridges are excellent for squeezing ink out of a pen.

According to Fisher Space Pen Company, Apollo 11 astronauts used this pen to repair a faulty arm switch to allow their return to Earth. Fisher uses thixotropic ink, a gel that rests under the pressure of toothpaste and turns into a liquid. At Fishers Space Pens, the ink is ventilation-free and the cartridge releases significant vapors that are common at temperatures and low pressure.

This new pen, called the Shuttle Pen, was used on NASA's Space Shuttles and the Russian Mir Space Station. While you can't go into space to get your hands on a pen, Earth-bound humans can still own one for the low price of $5,000. Having such a wide selection is not necessarily a bad thing, as it offers you many options if you are looking for a pen that meets your needs.

Because of their durability and ease of care, you don't have to do much to care for a ballpoint pen, and since they can be written on many different surfaces, ballpoint pens remain a popular option in everyday life. Inkjoy and Paper Mate Ballpoint Pens have a wide range of features, with Paper Mate's unique low-viscosity ink with an optimized tip, which means they can start with minimal printing and give clear and crisp lines if you want them. Pilot ballpoint pens offer affordability, comfort, durability and are a very environmentally friendly option.

Astronauts cannot use normal ballpoint pens in space because normal ballpoint pens rely on gravity. When writing, gravity forces the ink into a ball that rolls around in its sleeve and spreads the ink over the entire writing surface. Pilot BP's Cap-and-stick ballpoint pens feature a convenient triangular rubber handle and refillable ink, making them quick-flowing and easy to use.

On my first flight, I took one of the most expensive ballpoint pens and a cartridge, just like any other shuttle astronaut. So it was that ESA astronaut Pedro Duque had worked seventeen years in the space program, eleven of them as astronauts, and he believed when told that a normal ballpoint pen would not work in space. There was a belief that America had spent millions of dollars on developing a ballpoint pen which could be used in space while the Russians used pencils.

In the early days of manned space exploration, engineers knew that normal pencils were dangerous. In 1965, for example, NASA used pencils for the Project Gemini mission. The first space pen was invented and financed by a private company called Fisher.