3 ms·
NASA wanted to avoid pencils because the lead could easily break off and float away, creating a hazard to astronauts and sensitive electronics on the spacecraft
by robocat 4mo ago
NASA wanted to avoid pencils because the lead could easily break off and float away, creating a hazard to astronauts and sensitive electronics on the spacecraft In fact, a pencil is such an impractical alternative in space that cosmonauts also have been using Space Pens since 1969
https://spinoff.nasa.gov/space-pens https://spinoff.nasa.gov/space-pens
You don't want conductive graphite particles shorting out electronics nor do you want flammable dust or wood flakes.
Good engineers learn to smell out simple but wrong answers.
- lr1970 4mo ago> You don't want conductive graphite particles shorting out electronics nor do you want flammable dust or wood flakes. For decades mechanical pencils use non-conducting polymer based refills that eliminate the problem you mention.
- robocat 4mo agoPolymer leads were invented by the Japanese late 50's. Pentel use manga (漫画 whimsical/informal drawings) to write the history of a burnt rice ball being the inspiration: https://pentel.ca/docs/e_manga.pdf https://pentel.ca/docs/e_manga.pdf (page 7 with the title "Pentel's Sharp Pencil Refills"). Previously there were clutch pencils using the historical fired clay and graphite https://www.bl.uk/stories/blogs/posts/the-history-of-the-pencil https://www.bl.uk/stories/blogs/posts/the-history-of-the-pen... As usual Germans claim inventing it first https://www.computerhistory.org/siliconengine/the-european-transistor-invention/ https://www.computerhistory.org/siliconengine/the-european-t... ). Why are there no teutonic Space Pencil jokes?