Can you use a pen in space?

The pencil wasn’t an ideal choice for writing in space because its tip could flake and break off, drifting in microgravity with the potential to harm an astronaut or an equipment. Legend has it that during the height of the space race in the 1960s, NASA scientists figured that pens could not function in space.

Is it possible to write in space?

The Space Pen was invented by Paul Fisher, head of Fisher Pen Company. Unlike a typical pen, the Fisher Space Pen uses compressed nitrogen to force ink out of the nozzle, instead of using gravity to make it flow. This made it the ideal device for writing in space, while upside down, or submerged underwater.

Why do astronauts need pens?

According to the Fisher Space Pen Company, the Apollo 11 astronauts also used the pen to fix a broken arming switch, enabling their return to Earth. Since the late 1960s American astronauts and Russian cosmonauts have used Fisher’s pens. In fact, Fisher has created a whole line of space pens.

Can a fire burn in space?

Fires can’t start in space itself because there is no oxygen – or indeed anything else – in a vacuum. Yet inside the confines of spacecraft, and freed from gravity, flames behave in strange and beautiful ways. They burn at cooler temperatures, in unfamiliar shapes and are powered by unusual chemistry.

Who discovered space pen?

Paul C. Fisher
Fisher Space Pen/Inventors
In reality, the space pen was independently developed by Paul C. Fisher, founder of the Fisher Pen Company, with $1 million of his own funds. NASA tested and approved the pen for space use, especially since they were less flammable than pencils, then purchased 400 pens at $6 per pen.

How do pens work in space?

The space pen works in numerous conditions: upside down, from -50oF to 400oF, in a vacuum, and underwater. The pressurized nitrogen also prevents the air and ink from mixing within the pen so that the ink does not evaporate before use. When the ballpoint moves, the gelatinous ink within the pen becomes liquid.

Can pens write upside down?

Finding a Pen That Writes Upside Down While there are several pens that will do this for you, the first in the industry was Fisher. Fisher makes their classic “Space Pen” which can write in basically any conditions, including upside down, and is the best known. The secret is the ink cartridges, which are pressurized.

How much is a bullet pen?

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Is it possible to write in space with a pencil?

It is indeed possible to write in space, using ordinary pencils or ballpoint pens. The ideas that you need a special space pen and that graphite from pencils is extremely dangerous in space seem quite popular, but are not supported by Quora answers written by actual astronauts and the people who train them. See the following Quora answers:

Why don’t general pens work in space?

General pens doesn’t work in space because the ink is filled at atmospheric pressure and Earth’s gravity but in space their is no garvity.where as in space pens we use pressurized ink. The Space Pen (also known as the Zero Gravity Pen ), marketed by Fisher Space Pen Company, is a pen that uses pressurized ink…

What is the Space Pen?

The Space Pen (also known as the Zero Gravity Pen), marketed by Fisher Space Pen Company, is a pen that uses pressurized ink cartridges and is able to write in zero gravity, underwater, over wet and greasy paper, at any angle, and in a very wide range of temperatures.

Why did NASA develop a pen for astronauts?

During the height of the space race in the 1960s, legend has it, NASA scientists realized that pens could not function in space. They needed to figure out another way for the astronauts to write things down. So they spent years and millions of taxpayer dollars to develop a pen that could put ink to paper without gravity.