Understand why NASA doesn’t use pens in space

Throughout the history of the space race between the United States and the Soviet Union, a interesting legend about the way of the astronauts wrote in space with reduced gravity.

It was said that the Americans spent six months developing a revolutionary technology for writing in space, while the Russians could simply solve this problem using a pen.

NASA used pencils in their first space missions, but not an ordinary pencil. Actually, Tycam Engineering Manufacturing Inc. A special mechanical pencil manufactured by

Unfortunately, the accessory was prohibitively expensive, causing the space agency to run into obstacles and find it an unnecessary expense. However, aware of the importance of finding a more economical and safer solution, NASA began researching to develop a viable alternative.

Ordinary pencils can simply break and float in space, wcreating a dangerous environment for astronauts and sensitive electronics in spacecraft. For the agency, it was very important to avoid using potentially hazardous materials on board. For example, materials such as graphite are flammable and conduct electricity..

American inventor Paul Fisher in the 1950s wThere was a ballpoint pen that worked both in space and under water, thanks to pressurized charging. However, NASA was hesitant to adopt this design in the early 1960s.

Equipped with pressurized ink cartridges, Fisher Space Pens challenged the limitations of traditional ballpoint pens. They can operate flawlessly in a variety of conditions, including extreme temperatures and even oily surfaces. Impressed by its capabilities, the agency put the Fisher Space Pen through rigorous testing and later adopted it for future Apollo missions. The pen was launched during the Apollo 7 mission in 1968..

With the advancement of the digital age, Solved the problem of typing in space using “digital writing” on special tablets developed to support the space environment. Astronauts today use a wide variety of writing instruments. Besides the Fisher Space Pen, they also use Sharpie pencils in different colors and, surprisingly, some mechanical pencils.

Thus, the myth of pen-and-pencil space is unraveled and a more complex story emerges, filled with the agency’s challenges in its search for innovative solutions for space exploration.