Pens in Space
Okay, looks like some children on this site need to be educated about a few things, this one being on the myth that you can't use an ordinary ballpoint pen in space. Lets start with the first myth that everyone may already know is wrong.
This myth is that the Americans spent millions to develop a "space pen" while the clever Russians just used a pencil. This is false, in fact both the Americans and Russians started off using pencils, however graphite is very conductive and so when the led snaps it gets sucked into the ventilation system, gets into the circuitry and starts a fire. This was most evident in the Apollo 1 disaster in February 21, 1967 killing the three astronauts, Grissom, White, and Chaffee.
This led to American pen manufacturer Paul C. Fisher spending $1.5 million to develop a special pressurised "Astronaut Pen" to prevent any further loss of life.
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However, and here comes the controversial part, you do not need a special pressurised pen to write in space. A normal everyday ballpoint pen will work just fine in 0g, not outside the capsule mind you where a pressurised pen will keep the ink from being sucked out into vacuum, but in the shuttle or station itself. Now the comments will probably fill with a bunch of pseudo-scientists trying to scream and shout because they think they know better, but let me just save them some time and provide concrete evidence that even the most rabid Tumblrina would have difficulty arguing against.
We'll start with that fan favourite Wiki: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Writing_in_space
"Ballpoint pens have been used by Soviet and then Russian space programs as a substitute for grease pencils as well as NASA and ESA. The pens are cheap, use paper (which is easily available), and writing done using pen is more permanent than that done with graphite pencils and grease pencils, which makes the ball point pen more suitable for log books and scientific note books. However, the ink is indelible, and depending on composition is subject to outgassing and temperature variations."
But wiki is written by anyone! It's not scientific and cannot be used as a statement of fact! Okay, source number 2, a quote from Robert Frost who Trained NASA, ESA, JAXA, CSA, and RSA astronauts for the ISS: www.quora.com/How-do-astronauts-write-in-space/answer/Robert-Frost-1
"Mechanical pencils and regular ball point pens work just fine in space. So do felt-tip pens (markers). There is no need for a pressurized space pen."
Oh but how do we know that is a real guy? Could just be some guy faking it and posting on a site to troll us! Well lastly and most damning is a journal entry from Pedro Duque, who has actually been to space, and was published on the European Space Agency's official website and so can most likely be trusted: www.esa.int/esl/ESA_in_your_country/Spain/Pedro_Duque_s_diary_from_space
"I am writing these notes in the Soyuz with a cheap ballpoint pen."
So, if after all that you still believe in the myth that ballpoint pens cannot be used in space, in the face of overwhelming evidence that they can, well I can't help you and you are a lost cause.
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