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Writing in Space with a Cheap Ballpoint Pen

Posted by michael on from the flic-my-bic dept.

Roland Piquepaille writes "Some days bring big surprises. Like many people, I always believed that it was impossible to write in space with ordinary pens because ink would not flow. So imagine my astonishment when I read Pedro Duque's diary from space this morning. Pedro Duque is an astronaut since 1992. Now, he's on board of the International Space Station (ISS) since October 18, 2003. And he's writing -- from space -- with a cheap ballpoint pen, like Russians apparently always did: 'So I also took one of our ballpoint pens, courtesy of the European Space Agency (just in case Russian ballpoint pens are special), and here I am, it doesn't stop working and it doesn't "spit" or anything.' Isn't it amazing? This summary contains more details and a photograph of Pedro Duque on board ISS." Note that NASA didn't go crazy developing a pen for space. Surface tension is the important factor for all pens, not gravity.

6 of 298 comments (clear)

  1. Do they use these pens... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Offtopic

    to write their wills just prior to burning up upon reentry?

  2. Why not a felt tip? by zakezuke · · Score: 0, Offtopic


    I can imagine your typical bic pen might have issues spilling out in the event you happen to have one not oriented in the right direction on takeoff.

    --
    There is no sanctuary. There is no sanctuary. SHUT UP! There is no shut up. There is no shut up.
  3. pateNTdead eyecon0meter reads between LIEns by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Offtopic

    that's right. after you get through all of the phonIE greed/fear based stock markup fraud ?pr? ?firm? scriptdead "news", you will note that the creator's planet/population rescue initiative remains in crisis mode.

    you may continue to pretend if you want to/need to/must, but that doesn't help.

    the daze of the phonIE payper liesense corepirate nazi execrable, is WANing into coolapps/the abyss. lookout bullow.

    consult with/trust in yOUR creator... get ready to see the light.

  4. Re:In soviet russia... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Offtopic

    russian cosmonauts never used a pencil, they didnt want graphine dust floating around getting into electronics and causing problems - please stop perpetuating a myth

  5. Re:Yes, but it isn't over engineered by realdpk · · Score: 0, Offtopic

    It's not all that unusual to say "we" as in "our country" and mean the corporations that make up the country (as they are what controls its direction).

    "We gave the world McDonalds."

  6. Two eras. Four failures. 17 lives lost. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Offtopic

    Space travel is dangerous business any way you see it....

    Apollo I
    Apollo XIII
    Challenger
    Columbia