Pencil fragments floating in space, pencil leads can break and pose a danger to astronauts and equipment in zero gravity environments.
NASA astronaut Pamela Melroy checks a list of procedures on the space shuttle Atlantis with a ballpoint pen in 2002. Photo: NASA
In the 1960s, when humans first left the Earth's surface and entered the microgravity environment of space, they quickly discovered that ballpoint pens designed for the ground-level gravity environment were ineffective.
According to the story, NASA spent millions of dollars to develop a ballpoint pen that could work in microgravity. However, Soviet cosmonauts are said to have solved the problem by using only pencils. This story has become an interesting anecdote that has been circulated for decades. However, most of the story is not true, Science Alert reported on June 9.
Initially, both Soviet and American astronauts used pencils in space. NASA spent some money to research ballpoint pens for use in space, but soon abandoned the project when it became clear that the costs would be too high.
The private Fisher Pen Company funded the development of a new pen called the Fisher Space. In the late 1960s, after the Fisher Space Pen was introduced to the market, both Soviet and American astronauts used it when they needed to write in microgravity.
So why don’t astronauts use pencils? They don’t want pencil fragments floating around in space. Pencil leads can break and cause a hazard. They also don’t want flammable wood chips floating around in the spacecraft, or tiny electrically conductive graphite particles falling off pencils when they write.
Any small particle that can get stuck in delicate machinery is a hazard in space. Fires are also a major problem on spacecraft, and NASA doesn’t take them lightly, especially after a fire killed all three crew members of the Apollo 1 mission in 1967.
Ballpoint pens were also a hazard. The first commercially successful ballpoint pens were introduced in 1945 and leaked frequently, according to Paul C. Fisher, founder of the Fisher Pen Company. Floating ink droplets were not something astronauts wanted to see on a spacecraft, either.
Astronaut R. Walter Cunningham on the Apollo 7 mission using a Fisher Pen in 1968. Photo: NASA
The Apollo astronauts used felt-tip pens made by the Duro Pen company. In fact, felt-tip pens even saved the day of the Apollo 11 mission when a critical switch broke. Astronaut Buzz Aldrin inserted the stylus into the hole it left, allowing the spacecraft module to lift off from the Moon. However, they also used ballpoint pens after Paul C. Fisher, along with Friedrich Schächter and Erwin Rath, perfected the space pen, filing the first patent in 1965.
Scientists added plastic to the ink to prevent leakage. In addition, the new pen uses a pressurized cartridge and can operate in many conditions that a regular ballpoint pen would struggle with: large temperature fluctuations, writing upside down, or writing on greasy surfaces.
Fisher proposed selling the new pen to NASA. After rigorous testing, NASA decided to purchase them for the Apollo missions. The Fisher Space Pen finally debuted on Apollo 7 in 1968.
Fisher Space pens are still used today, but astronauts on the International Space Station (ISS) now have more options. They are provided with Sharpies in a variety of colors and pencils, but mechanical pencils instead of wooden versions.
"Mechanical pencils are often used by crews to write down the numerical values needed to perform onboard procedures (fire times, engine configurations, etc.). The ability to erase while the procedures are happening is a great thing, especially when the situation changes, which is often the case," explained NASA astronaut Clayton Anderson.
Leads can still break, but technological advances mean the filtration system on the ISS is quite effective at removing dangerous debris.
Thu Thao (According to Science Alert )
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