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The myth of NASA's expensive space pens
- breadbox 13y agoI'm actually surprised that the truth is that close to the story. I've always assumed that it was largely invented ex nihilo. The actual story is actually not too far off, and is more interesting.
- deleted 13y ago[deleted]
- Panoramix 13y agoI'm also surprised, 1 million sounds like a lot of money for such a thing.
- veemjeem 13y agoI'm guessing most of that money went to pay salaries, just like raising a $1M seed round in the Valley. Since Fisher invested their own money, it's hard to determine if the $1M was only used for the space pen. I would assume they didn't hire that many new engineers and simply allocated existing engineers to the space pen project. On the books it looks like $1M invested, but that amount might be significantly less.
- anigbrowl 13y ago$1m sounds like peanuts for a bunch of R&D on a mass-market high-tech consumer product.
- hornetblack 13y agoAround $7 million in todays money. http://www.wolframalpha.com/input/?i=1+million+USD%2C++in+1965 http://www.wolframalpha.com/input/?i=1+million+USD%2C++in+19...
- XorNot 13y agoConversely, if you short out a panel due to conductive something and the spacecraft is lost due to the malfunction, it starts to look like maybe you should've invested more money in developing your flight instruments. Space is a harsh environment - things sent up there need to be carefully considered.
- bcoates 13y agoBut the myth gets the moral exactly backwards -- the pens solved a real problem, and because both NASA and Fisher knew most of the value of the deal was getting the "the same pen they use in SPACE!" endorsement, the government got the pens for almost free.
- fidotron 13y agoThere's more to it than that. The Russians simply had a completely different philosophy to how the interior of spacecraft was supposed to be, as such their panels were not susceptible to the problems of graphite dust etc. This also had the side effect of making Russian capsules of the same era much more comfortable than their American equivalents, although the landing procedures could more than nullify whatever comfort benefits they had.
- micampe 13y ago> although the landing procedures could more than nullify whatever comfort benefits they had. Could you expand a little bit here, what to you mean?
- pavel_lishin 13y agoIf I had to guess, it's the fact that Russian spacecraft tend to land on the ground, and typically fire a rocket burst right before landing to slow down even more. It's the equivalent of getting kicked in the ass by a rocket-powered donkey, twice. American craft land in the water, which is much more forgiving to begin with, and I don't think they fire rockets before hitting the surface. (Although, I'd love to hear more about the other design differences.)
- Luc 13y agoThe modern Soyuz are pretty good though - 'soft landing' engines reduce the speed at impact to less than 5 feet per second (!), and there's shock-absorbing seats. Archive.org link due to government shutdown in the US: http://web.archive.org/web/20130928200146/http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/structure/elements/soyuz/landing.html http://web.archive.org/web/20130928200146/http://www.nasa.go...
- imjoshdean 13y agoThey are fantastic pens, too. I've had one since high school (so...about 8 years now) and I've refilled the ink cartridge all of three times. A very VERY solid investment for writers.
- cschmidt 13y agoI keep a space pen in my pocket at all times. A Field Notebook in my back pocket, and I'm always ready to write things down.
- Jtsummers 13y agoSame, I've had one of these pens since 2007 or 2008. First saw them in HS, when the $20 or $30 sounded like a lot of money, when a grandchild of one of the founder(he claimed, and it would be an odd claim to make if it weren't true) was in a class of mine. I used to get made fun of, which hasn't bothered me since high school, until people started realizing they were always asking to borrow it to write down a note or sign a receipt.
- ChikkaChiChi 13y agoAfter watching a YouTube of Adam Savage proclaiming the joys of the space pen, I went out and bought one of my own. Great decision.
- tannerj 13y agoI watched the same video, love Adam and Tested.com, my favorite aspect of the pen is how small it is when you put the cap on. Fits in my pocket and I can't tell its there. Edit: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bypi7h6WOGg http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bypi7h6WOGg This is the video of stuff Adam Savage carries on a daily basis. Interesting if you are a gadget nut.
- ChikkaChiChi 13y agoI took it another step: http://imgur.com/JvMbVe4 http://imgur.com/JvMbVe4 I found a Stanley screwdriver that is great to carry around in my pocket. I used a bit of Instamorph to build a clip for both and now they don't slide around in my pocket! I love this stuff.
- trjordan 13y agoThis week is just full of thinking about pens. I recently read a hilariously well-researched article [1] about the best pen that _wasn't_ a space pen or it's $32 ilk. Baader-Meinhof, or something, I suppose. [1] http://thewirecutter.com/reviews/the-best-pen/ http://thewirecutter.com/reviews/the-best-pen/
- aray 13y agoJetPens[1] has a bunch of great articles, research and reviews. I highly recommend them for their service.[1] [1] http://www.jetpens.com/ http://www.jetpens.com/
- hudibras 13y agoDon't forget The Pen Addict! http://penaddict.com/top-5-pens/ http://penaddict.com/top-5-pens/
- adwf 13y agoOT: I used this site just a couple of weeks ago when looking for a fountain pen. Went looking for the TWSBI 540 as suggested there; ended up with the the 580 and can highly recommend it. Whilst I did check it out, I didn't like the look of the Pilot Vanishing Point. I wasn't sure if I'd agree with the clip being at the wrong end.
- interstitial 13y agoDon't forget Kickstarter's obsession with pens.
- alexkus 13y agoAnd the dreadfully named Pen Island:- http://www.penisland.net/ http://www.penisland.net/
- baldfat 13y agoCost me about $25 dollars doing that 2 months ago.
- 13y ago
- aresant 13y agoKottke says that this story gets "trotted out every time some large organization introduces some complex, bloated, over-engineered product or process". And then he gloriously "debunks" the myth, framing NASA as the unfairly labeled neerdowell. The inference is that today's news on gov't waste is also potentially a "myth". The reality is that Kottke's post is a red-herring. What's the 2nd result on Google for "Space Pen"? It is, of course, the snopes page describing the "hoax". And have you seen any major (or minor for that matter) news organizations today using the example of the "space pen" as an indicator of government waste? No. So in fact what we have here is a little allegory delivered in a neatly wrapped package to instantly defuse further investigation, and let us all go back to our armchairs.
- DigitalJack 13y agoThat's your inference. I hear this story once or twice a year. Not from news agencies but from engineers in meetings in response to our company or some other company creating a perceived boondoggle.
- jlgreco 13y agoExactly. "It's like a fucking spacepen" is a phrase I've heard more than once in my career.
- interstitial 13y agoIt's an inference, but that's how priming and propaganda work.
- aasarava 13y ago> The inference is that today's news on gov't waste is also potentially a "myth". Really? That's quite a leap. I read it as an interesting debunking of a common myth that I have heard before. That's all. Not sure where you got the "today's news" part.
- nsxwolf 13y agoBlog entry is dated today. Seems like a strange coincidence. I'm with parent on this.
- kryptiskt 13y agoWhat really grinds my teeth is the version of the story/myth that replaces weighlessness as the problem with vacuum, as in this post.
- snowwrestler 13y agoThe problem actually is weightlessness, not vacuum. Normal ballpoint pens rely on gravity to pull the ink down against the ball, so it can get rolled onto the paper. Fischer space pens have pressurized cartridges so they work without gravity (or even against it--they can write upside down here on Earth).
- Goopplesoft 13y agoHe agrees with you. The quote in the article cites vacuum as the reason.
- snowwrestler 13y agoWhoops you're right. I misread! Sorry.
- nerfhammer 13y agoNormal ballpoint pens do not need gravity, they just need gravity not working against it. Normal ball point pens work in space. The space pen is probably more durable for other reasons.
- interstitial 13y agoYou know, if you're trapped outside the space craft and left to die, the last message you ever write could be graffiti written in a vacuum on some passing object. You want a pen that can write in a vacuum. Now, I'm sure you're saying, perhaps the pen could come with a microburst of thrust instead, to save said astronaut. Now you're just being silly.
- chasing 13y agoNext you're going to tell me that some woman didn't win a $100mil lawsuit after dribbling a few drops of lukewarm coffee on herself and that's why we need reforms that restrict lawsuits on defenseless corporations like McDonald's.
- phunsuk_wangdu 13y agoAll iz well!
- ateevchopra 13y agoIts amazing how "need" leads to innovation. After the pen, Now the problem is How to make smartphones for space. How exactly will you make a smartphone, and all of its sensors like accelerometer work in space ?
- freehunter 13y agoNASA is using smartphones in space. See: http://www.brighthand.com/default.asp?newsID=18151&news=Google+Android+Samsung+Nexus+S+space+shuttle http://www.brighthand.com/default.asp?newsID=18151&news=Goog... (first link I found when I searched)
- zobzu 13y agopretty sure the pen still writes faster :P
- jff 13y agoThe accelerometer should work fine in space? It measures acceleration, it's not like acceleration stops outside the atmosphere
- tedunangst 13y agoThe orientation sensor probably works less well, though. Probably just lock orientation on the ground before you go up.
- ygra 13y agoThe orientation sensor is the accelerometer. You know which side is up because you get 1 g of acceleration downwards. At least on Earth.
- jff 13y agoThat's an interesting thought: what orientation will your screen take in microgravity? Will it stick on the last time it saw ~1 g, or will it flip randomly from one to another, or will it just go with "whatever has the highest acceleration", meaning that pretty much any motion of the phone would change orientation.
- philip1209 13y agoFun fact: the Fisher pen cartridges come with a Parker adapter. I like throwing them in the Parker Jotter (a favorite pen of James Bond).
- niels_olson 13y agoI used these pens almost exclusively for two years on my first ship. In a terrestrial environment, these pens are easily outperformed by many, many other pens. The high viscosity ink is under pressure, so it is always being expressed. Any imperfection in the ball that finds itself at the edge of the ball-barrel interface will leave you, in a matter of hours, and sometimes while writing, with a big ball of black goo on the ball, sometimes on your fingers, frequently on the paper. They tend to gunk up and frequently blow out. If you are going to space, get a few before you go. Otherwise, I highly recommend the Pilot G-2, specifically the 0.7 mm Navy-Blue (available in dozens when ordering directly from Pilot). The G-7 is ubiquitous and writes fast. It's not ideal for all surfaces, but 99.9% of the time, it's the best answer.
- Nicholas_C 13y agoMy office supply room is stocked with Pilot G-7 pens but I feel like they're too runny and make my writing sloppier than other pens.
- yannk 13y ago+1 to that. I miss the pens of my youth: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bic_Cristal http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bic_Cristal They would sometimes fail, but I find they would leave just the right amount of ink on the paper while rolling smoothly on it.
- epsylon 13y agoAs far as I know, Bic still sells them.
- stilldavid 13y agoThe G2 also comes in a 0.5mm and 0.38mm version in all colors. As a lefty I prefer the 0.38, but I've found the ball fails more often than the 0.5 so I usually just put up with the occasional smear.
- zobzu 13y agothe fisher cardrige comes from factory with a medium size tip. this tip kinda sux for the reasons you mentionned get the fine tip (it cost $6 or so), and.. surprise, its perfect. Always wondered why they did this. source: i've been using this pen for 20 years - gift from nasa :P
- 0xdeadbeefbabe 13y agoSelf defense pen which uses space pen cartridge: http://www.bladehq.com/item--CRKT-Tao-Tactical-Pen--6522 http://www.bladehq.com/item--CRKT-Tao-Tactical-Pen--6522
- herbig 13y agoHow soon before The Oatmeal does a comic about what a dick the space pen was to the pencil?
- londont 13y agoThanks a lot for ruining such a great story ;)
- zobzu 13y agoThe Fisher bullet space pen is cheaper ($20) and better design IMO. It's not the original, but its still the better version ;-)
- zach 13y agoThe pens are still made by the Fisher family in their factory, which moved from Van Nuys, California to Boulder City, Nevada (as I myself did -- Boulder City is a neat place to grow up). Their current challenge is actually finding American sources for the pen's parts, to keep it a 100% made-in-the-USA product: http://www.reviewjournal.com/business/nevadan-work-ceo-space-pen-company-runs-down-earth-company http://www.reviewjournal.com/business/nevadan-work-ceo-space... You can tell I love this company. Did I mention the Field Notes branded pen? http://fieldnotesbrand.com/spacepen/ http://fieldnotesbrand.com/spacepen/
- arrrg 13y ago“to keep it a 100% made-in-the-USA product” Yay, nationalism.
- chrischen 13y agoOr anti-globalism, anti-exploitation of developing countries. Contrary to popular belief, there are valid practical benefits to keeping things within the US economy. For example, outsourcing manufacturing jobs to China does hurt American workers... and China doesn't operate under the same environmental and labor laws, so it's not exactly fair.
- marcosdumay 13y ago> anti-exploitation of developing countries No problem with your other points, but if you have the chance, ask some exploited laborer in a developing country if he would like you to stop exploiting him.
- twelvechairs 13y agoyeah the simple answer is to manufacture wherever you want and just make sure workers have good pay and conditions.
- chii 13y ago
- paolord 13y agoFirst time I heard about this was on the Indian movie "3 Idiots". Never did any research on it but the movie explanation just made sense to me. I didn't know there's some history behind it.
- aviral 13y agoJust another marketing stunt.I can believe it. Its all made up !! I mean to say the NASA story is total made up.
- tokenadult 13y agoBasically blogspam for the 2006 Scientific American story. http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=fact-or-fiction-nasa-spen http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=fact-or-fic...
- johnx123-up 13y agoIt's more of "referral link" spam. Wikipedia has concise article on that https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space_Pen https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space_Pen already
- brymaster 13y agoYep. First thing I noticed was he had a referral link to Amazon.
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- wazoox 13y agoA true story, on the other hand, is that when the vacuum cleaner failed on the Mir space station, some engineer at Baikonur went to the supermarket buy another ordinary one to be loaded on the next Progress flight. NASA on the other hand, always used specially designed vacuum cleaners (according to one of Patrick Baudry's book).
- deleted 13y ago[deleted]
- socrates1998 13y agoThe reason a lot of people think this story is true is because our government wastes a lot of money, so it seems believable.
- soonghong 13y agowhat about markers or sharpies?