4 ms·
What really grinds my teeth is the version of the story/myth that replaces weighlessness as the problem with vacuum, as in this post.
by kryptiskt 13y ago
What 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.