Comment on Pens in Space
jjagaimo@sh.itjust.works 4 days ago
Besides that, NASA wasn’t the one that funded the research behind the pen, they bought the completed pens. The expenses for the research were funded by Fisher
Comment on Pens in Space
jjagaimo@sh.itjust.works 4 days ago
Besides that, NASA wasn’t the one that funded the research behind the pen, they bought the completed pens. The expenses for the research were funded by Fisher
koper@feddit.nl 4 days ago
NASA still foots the bill either way. In this arrangement, the cost of development is simply included in the price of the product plus a fixed profit margin. Such ‘cost-plus’ contracts are [criticized] (arstechnica.com/…/nasa-chief-says-cost-plus-contr…) because it eliminates competing for efficiency and incentivises contractors to make their solutions as complicated and expensive as possible.
jqubed@lemmy.world 4 days ago
Your points about a cost-plus contract have merit but aren’t applicable here because the pens weren’t developed under a contract at all. Paul Fisher of the Fisher Pen Company had started developing a pressurized pen before the space program even began (to develop a pen that could write in other orientations than on a desk), although learning of the concerns from the program gave him renewed impetus to solve the design. Fisher patented the design in 1966 after ten years of development and about $1 million in cost. Prior to the pens NASA had been purchasing special pencils at $128.89/each. The original purchase order for the pens bought 400 at $2.95/each.
Original Space Pen Purchase Order from NASA
The Soviet space program bought the pens in 1969, and besides the Americans they’re still used today by the Russian and Chinese space programs. You can buy one yourself for as little as $7 if you don’t care about it being refillable. On the one hand that’s a lot for a disposable pen, on the other hand that’s not terribly expensive for a pen that writes upside-down if you need that, and might not feel too bad if you’re prone to losing pens.
blackbrook@mander.xyz 4 days ago
Can we still buy one of the special space pencils? Were they low-dust or something?
jaybone@lemmy.zip 4 days ago
Yeah, what’s the story with these pencils?
Also don’t felt tip pens write upside down?
phdepressed@sh.itjust.works 4 days ago
Pens are dust-free as is, the problem with a regular ballpoint or felt tip pen is that both inking mechanisms rely on gravity. When you’re in 0g the ballpoint won’t work at all and the felt will stop working after a point when there’s no gravity to pull more ink to the tip.
You could probably spin a felt until it rewets but you’d be liable to make a mess as well.
SomeAmateur@sh.itjust.works 4 days ago
This is the type of calligraphic geekout I came here to see
pewgar_seemsimandroid@lemmy.blahaj.zone 4 days ago
so, there are refillable one’s too. okay.
jqubed@lemmy.world 3 days ago
Fisher’s claim to fame before inventing the Space Pen was inventing a universal replacement ink cartridge. You can even put the space pen cartridge in pens from other manufacturers.
_stranger_@lemmy.world 4 days ago
Except this wasn’t a cost plus contract, this was NASA buying a thing at discount on the open market. In fact, the USSR paid the same discounted bulk price per pen that NASA did.
Black616Angel@discuss.tchncs.de 4 days ago
To add onto the other comment:
NASA wouldn’t have to pay anything if the research didn’t work out and maybe even avoided other companies who then weren’t compensated for their efforts.