At the time when there was controversy about the pen and pencil, at the same time Paul C. Fisher, owner of the Fisher Pen Company, invented a ball pen that could work in space. This company spent 1 lakh dollars on the manufacture and patent of this pen.
After all, what do the astronauts going to space read and write? That is, if they have to write some records, enter some details, then which pencil or pen do they use for this? Isn’t this an interesting question. This question flashes in everyone’s mind. So let’s know about it in detail.
Actually, a pencil is not considered the right thing to write in space because its tip can melt, break and this can cause serious danger to the astronaut. Similarly, there are some similar limitations with the pen. In the 1960s, scientists from the US space agency NASA found that ordinary pens could not work in space. That’s why scientists spent millions of dollars and worked on a pen that could write in space. On the other hand, Soviet scientists were working with a pencil at that time. Now you must be thinking that what kind of story is this and how much truth is there in it. So know, this is not true and this story is just a legend. Or rather, it is a proverb.
What is the FACT
According to NASA historians, NASA astronauts have also used pencils. In 1965, NASA ordered the Tychem Engineering Manufacturing Company of Houston to manufacture 34 mechanical pencils. The price of a pencil was fixed at $ 128.89. When the people of America came to know about this, there was a huge uproar. In such a situation, NASA started looking for some such alternative to this pencil which is cheaper.
Why Astronauts don’t use pencil
The tip of the pencil could break in space, could melt and this could have put the astronaut in great danger. Hence this proposal was shelved. There is also a risk of burning the pencil. In view of this, NASA was not at all wanting that such a thing should be sent to the spacecraft.
Using pen in space
The pens that work on earth cannot work in space because due to gravity, the ink of the pen sinks down into the nib and the pen writes. This theory is not effective in space because there the force works in some other way. According to the newspaper Hindu , in view of this flaw of the pen, NASA had kept the concept of the pencil. But there was a dispute with the pencil and pen, so what would NASA do?
Here is the solution
At the time when there was controversy about the pen and pencil, at the same time Paul C. Fisher, owner of the Fisher Pen Company, invented a ball pen that could work in space. His company spent 1 lakh dollars on the manufacture and patent of this pen. This Fischer pen not only worked in space, but it was effective in zero-weight environment, under water, in other liquids and from minus 50 to plus 400 degrees.
NASA’ Space pen manufacturing company
Fisher’s company offered this pen to NASA, but due to the mechanical pen controversy, NASA did not pay attention to it. However, later the controversy subsided and NASA started providing this pen to its astronauts. The space agency bought 400 pens from Fischer. Russia also ordered Fischer 100 pens and 1000 ink cartridges. In return, the Fisher Company gave a 40 percent discount to NASA and Russia due to the order in bulk. In today’s date, this company makes pens for space.