6 ms·

I realize this is off-topic, but I hate that joke, and it bugs me every time I see it. Sharpening a pencil is inadvisable in microgravity. Little wood shavings

I realize this is off-topic, but I hate that joke, and it bugs me every time I see it. Sharpening a pencil is inadvisable in microgravity. Little wood shavings go everywhere, they get inhaled, must be vacuumed up, et cetera. And mechanical pencils require gravity to feed the lead; a mechanical pencil that would work in micro-g is just as hard to develop as a ballpoint pen that will.

froo 18y ago
Yeah, agreed - it's just not funny. I originally was writing about a triangular shaped wheel on a car prototype I saw about 15 years ago on an Aussie TV show called Beyond 2000. The premise of that show was essentially they showed off a lot of bleeding edge technologies (for it's time), prototypes and just plain new ideas - Fascinating stuff, especially for a 12 yr old kid. Essentially the "wheel" was triangular prism with a track that ran around the perimeter to provide motion. It was also able to walk up stairs/curbs by rotating the "wheel". I remember it was an odd sight to see a car trying to walk up a group of stairs. We still use good, old fashioned, round wheels though. So I opted for the pencil joke, as the other was too obscure a reference.
bootload 18y ago
"... And mechanical pencils require gravity to feed the lead; a mechanical pencil that would work in micro-g is just as hard to develop as a ballpoint pen that will. ..." No, mechanical pencils with springs have no problems. All sorts of pencils/pens where used in the space program but the Fisher AG7 and patent # 3,285,228 ~ http://spacepen.com/about-us.aspx http://spacepen.com/about-us.aspx proved to be a good solution to the problems of FOD (foreign object damage), cost, availability, usability and fire. Fisher also invented the "Universal refill" for pens.
- froo 18y ago
  I guess the real question is... Has fisher innovated the technology behind the universal refill and the spacepen even further, or has it stayed pretty much where it is? This is a serious question by the way, I'd be keen to know what the answer is.
  - bootload 18y ago
    "... Has fisher innovated the technology behind the universal refill and the spacepen even further, or has it stayed pretty much where it is? ..." From what I can tell from reading through fisher pens the only further innovation is styling not the basic design ~ http://spacepen.com/about-us.aspx http://spacepen.com/about-us.aspx The Space race really kicked innovation along for lots of things even the simple pen. The engineering is pretty extreme. Imagine building a pen that will work in high PT environments from -35 to 120 degrees C and life of about 100yrs for USD$6. ~ http://history.nasa.gov/spacepen.html http://history.nasa.gov/spacepen.html & http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space_Pen http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space_Pen This is the kind of advances great challenges produce. It's still happening now in the US and the one area I know basic research and innovation can be seen is the X-Prize. Think Bert Rutan ~ http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/3676312.stm http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/3676312.stm and Carmac ~ http://www.armadilloaerospace.com/n.x/Armadillo/Home/News?news_id=359 http://www.armadilloaerospace.com/n.x/Armadillo/Home/News?ne...
    - froo 18y ago
      Well then I guess that proves my initial first point of Sometimes innovating for the sake of innovating can be an exercise in futility if current solutions are adequate. It's a shame that I can't get those pen's shipped to Australia.. I'd be keen to get my hands on a couple. Must find another supplier.

froo 18y ago

Yeah, agreed - it's just not funny. I originally was writing about a triangular shaped wheel on a car prototype I saw about 15 years ago on an Aussie TV show called Beyond 2000. The premise of that show was essentially they showed off a lot of bleeding edge technologies (for it's time), prototypes and just plain new ideas - Fascinating stuff, especially for a 12 yr old kid. Essentially the "wheel" was triangular prism with a track that ran around the perimeter to provide motion. It was also able to walk up stairs/curbs by rotating the "wheel". I remember it was an odd sight to see a car trying to walk up a group of stairs. We still use good, old fashioned, round wheels though. So I opted for the pencil joke, as the other was too obscure a reference.

bootload 18y ago

"... And mechanical pencils require gravity to feed the lead; a mechanical pencil that would work in micro-g is just as hard to develop as a ballpoint pen that will. ..." No, mechanical pencils with springs have no problems. All sorts of pencils/pens where used in the space program but the Fisher AG7 and patent # 3,285,228 ~ http://spacepen.com/about-us.aspx http://spacepen.com/about-us.aspx proved to be a good solution to the problems of FOD (foreign object damage), cost, availability, usability and fire. Fisher also invented the "Universal refill" for pens.

froo 18y ago
I guess the real question is... Has fisher innovated the technology behind the universal refill and the spacepen even further, or has it stayed pretty much where it is? This is a serious question by the way, I'd be keen to know what the answer is.
- bootload 18y ago
  "... Has fisher innovated the technology behind the universal refill and the spacepen even further, or has it stayed pretty much where it is? ..." From what I can tell from reading through fisher pens the only further innovation is styling not the basic design ~ http://spacepen.com/about-us.aspx http://spacepen.com/about-us.aspx The Space race really kicked innovation along for lots of things even the simple pen. The engineering is pretty extreme. Imagine building a pen that will work in high PT environments from -35 to 120 degrees C and life of about 100yrs for USD$6. ~ http://history.nasa.gov/spacepen.html http://history.nasa.gov/spacepen.html & http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space_Pen http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space_Pen This is the kind of advances great challenges produce. It's still happening now in the US and the one area I know basic research and innovation can be seen is the X-Prize. Think Bert Rutan ~ http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/3676312.stm http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/3676312.stm and Carmac ~ http://www.armadilloaerospace.com/n.x/Armadillo/Home/News?news_id=359 http://www.armadilloaerospace.com/n.x/Armadillo/Home/News?ne...
  - froo 18y ago
    Well then I guess that proves my initial first point of Sometimes innovating for the sake of innovating can be an exercise in futility if current solutions are adequate. It's a shame that I can't get those pen's shipped to Australia.. I'd be keen to get my hands on a couple. Must find another supplier.