Did NASA spend millions on a space pen?
The video plays from YouTube (youtube-nocookie.com). Nothing is loaded from YouTube until you press play.
The famous story says NASA spent millions on a pen that writes in space, while the Soviets just used pencils. It's a myth: the Fisher Pen Company developed its pressurized space pen with its own money (reportedly about $1 million), and NASA bought the pens for Apollo at a few dollars each. Pencils were risky anyway, because broken tips can float into the electronics and wood burns. In 1969 the Soviet Union bought the same pens for its Soyuz flights.
Watch it on
Transcript
- Sef NASA spent millions on a pen that writes in space. The Soviets just used pencils!
- Tiggy Great story. Total myth.
- Tiggy Pencils were risky. Tips can snap off and float into the electronics. And wood burns.
- Tiggy So the Fisher Pen Company built a pressurized pen, with its own money.
- Tiggy NASA just bought them, for a few dollars each.
- Tiggy And in 1969, the Soviets bought them too.
- Sef Then I'm bringing crayons!
Sources
- NASA History Office: The Fisher Space Pen (archived) webarchive.library.unt.edu
- Scientific American: Fact or Fiction? NASA spent millions on a pen scientificamerican.com
- NASA Spinoff: Space Pens, Pencils, and How NASA Takes Notes in Space spinoff.nasa.gov
- Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum: Fisher AG-7 pen (Apollo) airandspace.si.edu
- PolitiFact: No, NASA did not spend millions on a space pen politifact.com
Spotted a mistake? Email [email protected] and we’ll check it.