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
Pens in Space
Submitted 3 weeks ago by fossilesque@mander.xyz to science_memes@mander.xyz
https://mander.xyz/pictrs/image/466a2af6-4d33-4f93-aa6c-eaaf49ab899f.jpeg
Comments
jjagaimo@sh.itjust.works 3 weeks ago
koper@feddit.nl 3 weeks 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 3 weeks 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.
_stranger_@lemmy.world 3 weeks 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 3 weeks 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.
JohnDClay@sh.itjust.works 3 weeks ago
Plus, inhaling graphite dust since it doesn’t fall doesn’t sound fun.
Tiptopit@feddit.org 3 weeks ago
Plus, graphite dust and electronics are also not a great combination.
termaxima@jlai.lu 3 weeks ago
It’s carbon dust, which your body is pretty good at dealing with, and in quantities so trivial you probably already inhale more currently than you would using a pencil in an otherwise mostly sterile spaceship (at least sterile compared to earth)
JohnDClay@sh.itjust.works 3 weeks ago
Have you broken a pencil tip? I wouldn’t want to breath that in after it goes flying.
Eheran@lemmy.world 3 weeks ago
Hardly anything is less problematic than graphite. No idea why you think that is an issue.
frezik@midwest.social 3 weeks ago
You’re probably thinking “it’s just carbon, nbd”, but that doesn’t mean it’s good for your lungs:
www.inchem.org/documents/icsc/icsc/eics0893.htm
“Repeated or prolonged inhalation of dusts may cause effects on the lungs. This may result in graphite pneumoconiosis”
JohnDClay@sh.itjust.works 3 weeks ago
What do you mean? Graphite can be fine or sharp, you saying it’s fine to breathe in? I know I wouldn’t want to breath in a broken tip of a pencil.
holycrap@lemm.ee 3 weeks ago
NASA used crayons before those space pens, and iirc the pens were available for a while before they tried them
mojofrododojo@lemmy.world 3 weeks ago
NASA used crayons before those space pens, and iirc the pens were available for a while before they tried them
this is partially correct; the missing pertinent bit - there was a crayon shortage due to the influx of marines recruited for the vietnam war, forcing NASA to seek alternatives.
Draegur@lemm.ee 2 weeks ago
Also you DON’T FUCKING WANT GRAPHITE DUST FLOATING AROUND IN ZERO G
pdqcp@lemmy.dbzer0.com 2 weeks ago
Why not? I’m not well versed in the theme. Would it be flammable?
SynopsisTantilize@lemm.ee 2 weeks ago
Also your body doesn’t do a good job of breaking it down either. Id imagine that in your lungs would suck.
I have a piece of graphite in my leg from 7th grade still. I’m 33.
LovableSidekick@lemmy.world 2 weeks ago
The theme is to pretend recently-learned information was available half a century ago, and also to ignorantly inflate its importance. It turns out exposure to graphite dust in large concentrations can cause respiratory problems, but the amount of graphite emitted into the air by pencil use is insignificant, even in zero gravity.
Karyoplasma@discuss.tchncs.de 3 weeks ago
This is inaccurate. Graphite is not flammable. It forms small particles that, mixed with air, could combust in a dust explosion, just like flour.
Aurenkin@sh.itjust.works 3 weeks ago
I’m probably just being dense but what’s the difference between being flammable and being susceptible to combustion?
disguy_ovahea@lemmy.world 3 weeks ago
They’re referring to the relationship between surface area and combustion. Talc, for example, melts but does not burn. Talc powder can ignite if blown over an open flame.
Karyoplasma@discuss.tchncs.de 3 weeks ago
The flash point is different. The flash point is the temperature that is necessary to create enough vapor for the substance to ignite.
Flammable material has a low flash point, which means it catches on fire easily. Think gasoline. Combustibles need a higher initial temperature, but eventually they will burn and sustain the burning until running out. Think wood.
kwomp2@sh.itjust.works 3 weeks ago
You misgendered round spicy flames
dwindling7373@feddit.it 3 weeks ago
Wood.
Karyoplasma@discuss.tchncs.de 3 weeks ago
Wood is also combustible. You need a lot of heat to make wood burn.
A_Union_of_Kobolds@lemmy.world 3 weeks ago
[deleted]4am@lemm.ee 3 weeks ago
I don’t know where you got any of this, your comment makes the least sense of anyone in this post, and some of these people are actually wrong
Eheran@lemmy.world 3 weeks ago
Let us just note that this would be impossible when using it to write something.
mojofrododojo@lemmy.world 3 weeks ago
also, fucking pencil shavings?
pencil shavings contain graphite (great for getting into shit and shorting shit out) and thin paper (think, kindling)
did the russians gnaw the fucking things sharp? no? idiots…
Madison420@lemmy.world 3 weeks ago
Grease pencil, you pull a tab and the things unrolls.
mojofrododojo@lemmy.world 3 weeks ago
nice alternative, and that’d make great sense except… now you have a bunch of long strings of grease covered paper floating about the cabin.
so no. no thanks.
yuri@pawb.social 2 weeks ago
side note, mechanical grease pencils are literally some of the best goddamn marking tools ever invented by humans, and the fact that we’ve moved away from them as a standard in favor of sharpie-style disposible markers is APPALLING.
there’s myriad “industrial” markers you can buy, which are generally especially well suited to one specific inclement situation. low temp markers won’t freeze, but will often bleed and feather. oil-proof markers will write on a slippery surface, but will smear and take ages to dry proper (RIP lefties). paint markers can write on anything, but only as long as the surface doesn’t immediately destroy your nib and prevent future wicking.
grease pencils (quality ones at least) go down like a crayon, stick to ANYTHING, and generally won’t smear at all. obviously no one should be writing their thesis with one, but they can do pretty much everything we use permanent markers for. they’re also cheaper and produce far less waste.
as far as i can tell the biggest downside is there’s a smaller profit margin for the manufacturers.
neidu3@sh.itjust.works 3 weeks ago
Apollo 1 resulted in a lot of improvements regarding fire safety.
yesman@lemmy.world 3 weeks ago
People drag the Soviets for being reckless with the lives of their crews, but forget that the USA melted three men in a training exercise.
mojofrododojo@lemmy.world 3 weeks ago
at least those three were known, acknowledged and not covered in secrecy.
we really have no idea how many the sov’s lost in their rush to stay ahead / catch up to the moon landings. truly, there’s no way to fucking know, even the cosmonauts themselves never knew the total extent.
maybe they both deserve to be dragged a bit eh? pfft
FinishingDutch@lemmy.world 3 weeks ago
I’ve owned a fair few Fisher Space Pens throughout the years. It’s an interesting bit of space memorabilia that’s functional and affordable. It’s an impressive bit of engineering.
As a space nerd, I love the pen. As a pen guy…. There’s better options. The cartridge just doesn’t write as smooth as I like, nor is it a really bold, saturated line. For daily actual writing use, I use a Lamy Safari rollerball or a Pilot B2P.
rumba@lemmy.zip 3 weeks ago
They’re small, but when you open them up, they’re full-sized. It fits in my knockoff Ridge wallet. I buy blue cartridges because I hate signing stuff in black.
10/10 for me, but it’s all about utility for me.
lunasandwich@lemmy.world 3 weeks ago
Rite In The Rain pens are awesome too. Ultralight for backpacking.
Carl@hexbear.net 3 weeks ago
Plus pressurized pens are useful in more than just zero-g. I used to use one along with a waterproof note pad for note taking in the field. They’re also not prohibitively expensive, although the ones from Fisher itself carry a pretty huge brand name markup, other companies sell them for a couple bucks each.
CosmicTurtle0@lemmy.dbzer0.com 3 weeks ago
Wait…waterproof notepad?! How does a notepad hold the moisture from the pen? Or is this like a grease marker situation?
Carl@hexbear.net 3 weeks ago
idk how it works but it does. I’ve been using Rite in the Rain for years but there are others too if you search it up.
KillingTimeItself@lemmy.dbzer0.com 3 weeks ago
the pen doesnt necessarily need to absorb the ink, the ink just needs to dry on the surface is such a way that it adheres well enough it doesn’t rub off, or stay wet.
So really, you want a high adhesion, quick drying ink, which would basically let you write on any surface it’ll stick to.
dil@hexbear.net 3 weeks ago
They’re also great to bust open when scared, to make a quick getaway. Making zoidberg noises as you scuttle away is optional, but recommended.
BeNotAfraid@lemmy.world 3 weeks ago
Think of how revolutionary crayola twistables would have been for NASA?
SynopsisTantilize@lemm.ee 2 weeks ago
So they could have infinite chunks of broken crayan floating around them. I can never not break those no matter how lite I use rhem
BeNotAfraid@lemmy.world 2 weeks ago
You’re the kid I stopped sharing my colours with.
SparroHawc@lemm.ee 2 weeks ago
The air filters would capture it eventually. It’s not like the ISS has dead air.
IDKWhatUsernametoPutHereLolol@lemmy.dbzer0.com 3 weeks ago
It’s a cool pen. “Btw, this pen was the same type of pen used by Astronauts”; I mean, how’s that for a conversation starter 😁
boonhet@lemm.ee 3 weeks ago
Conversation starter, or an entire episode of Seinfeld
Bahnd@lemmy.world 3 weeks ago
Both? Yes, both, both is good.
onlyhalfminotaur@lemmy.world 2 weeks ago
TAKE THE PEN
LovableSidekick@lemmy.world 2 weeks ago
For decades this has been brought up to criticize wasteful spending, inaccurately. Fisher Price didn’t even develop the pen for NASA, it was just a sales gimmick, and NASA didn’t spend thousands of dollars on them. Space flight was getting a lot of publicity back then, so products that related themselves to space were popular, like Space Food Sticks - tootsie-rollish snacks supposedly full of protein and nourishment. To me they tasted too much like raw flour. “Energy” of course was a euphemism for sugar.
PalmTreeIsBestTree@lemmy.world 3 weeks ago
[deleted]A_Union_of_Kobolds@lemmy.world 3 weeks ago
That want the problem. The problem was graphite fragments floating around until they hit something with a charge to it, and then they shorted important systems.
Bytemeister@lemmy.world 3 weeks ago
Nope. 100% O2 can’t burn on its own. Other things in 100% O2 on the other hand…
technocrit@lemmy.dbzer0.com 3 weeks ago
Empires wasting resources on nonflammable space pens while the whole planet burns.
pineapplelover@lemm.ee 3 weeks ago
I have one on my keychain, highly recommend
arakhis_@feddit.org 3 weeks ago
americans trying to save the political devision in 2025
Eyedust@lemmy.dbzer0.com 3 weeks ago
I got big into pens for a bit before settling on my edc one-size-fits-most pen. During my travels, I saw that the Fisher Space pens are still highly regarded as great writers even for us grounded folk. Yeah, there’s better, but for the size and build quality they’re great options. I went with the Ti Arto by Big Idea Design instead. Just so I could use basically any pen cartridges (except cheap bic roller ball).
Huh, the Arto used to be 70usd. I’d say not worth anymore. I got the black one and the paint has already chipped plus the clip is not titanium unless you buy an expensive “premium” clip.
Bronstein_Tardigrade@lemmygrad.ml 3 weeks ago
Do they even “write” in space any more? Isn’t it all screens?
huf@hexbear.net 2 weeks ago
back in my day, astronauts could write in cursive!
boughtmysoul@lemmy.world 2 weeks ago
“Do me a personal favour. Take the pen!”
Zerush@lemmy.ml 3 weeks ago
The reason not to use pencils in Space wasn’t that Pencil are inflamable, the main reason was the graphit dust produced by Pencils, which because of the lack of gravity, enter floating in the electronic, causing short circuits as main risk.
ninja@lemmy.world 3 weeks ago
Image
Phoenicianpirate@lemm.ee 3 weeks ago
That is something I found weird, too. Inflammable and flammable mean the same thing!
Midnitte@beehaw.org 3 weeks ago
Probably not great for eyes or noses or filtration systems either
jaybone@lemmy.zip 3 weeks ago
Twist: you’re the filtration system.
quediuspayu@lemmy.dbzer0.com 3 weeks ago
Also a broken bit of lead could easily float into someone’s eye or get aspirated.
NuraShiny@hexbear.net 3 weeks ago
There is no way either side used lead pencils. Saying lead is in pencils is a very outdated thing, it’s all graphite these days.
mojofrododojo@lemmy.world 3 weeks ago
and thin paper shavings = space kindling. the entire argument is fucking dumb.
perhaps the sovs gnawed their pencils sharp and consumed all the graphite fragments and shavings lol. good lil soviet space beavers
kkj@lemmy.dbzer0.com 3 weeks ago
If I remember correctly, the Soviet engines were a lot harder to short out, so pencils weren’t as big a problem in their spacecraft.
jqubed@lemmy.world 2 weeks ago
The Soviets were using grease pencils IIRC before also switching to the Fisher Space Pen around 1969. The grease pencil eliminated the risk of graphite floating around but the writing quality isn’t great.
copd@lemmy.world 3 weeks ago
Genuine question. why did you choose to use “inflammable” instead of “flammable”?
Manticore@lemmy.nz 3 weeks ago
Inflame was the original word for ‘to ignite’ (or flare up). But given English uses the un- and in- prefixes and modifiers, ‘flammable’ has been deemed less confusing, especially if English is not your native language
Zerush@lemmy.ml 3 weeks ago
Lapsus
Rivalarrival@lemmy.today 3 weeks ago
inflammation, inflame, inflammable
inflammable = easily ignited
Churbleyimyam@lemm.ee 3 weeks ago
This is the most upvotes I think I have ever seen on a comment here.