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ISS · LIFE IN SPACE

Pens and pencils in space: the story behind the myth

How do you write when objects and particles float? The answer is more interesting than the familiar story about the space pen.

Walter Cunningham writes during Apollo 7 · Credit: NASA · Source record ↗
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The problem with pencils

Pencils can write in microgravity and were used on early missions, but small graphite fragments can break off and float. The material could reach sensitive instruments or create risks for the crew.

The Space Pen

Fisher Pen Company developed a pen with a pressurised cartridge that feeds ink without relying on gravity. NASA tested it and purchased it for Apollo missions. The story that NASA spent millions inventing it while cosmonauts simply used pencils does not accurately describe these events.

Writing aboard the ISS

NASA reports that numerous Space Pens are aboard the station. The choice depends on the task: the question is not only whether an instrument can write, but also how it behaves inside a spacecraft.