Incredible but true. I just read that in a newspaper. The NASA has spent 12 millions of US$ over the past 10 years to create a ball pen that could write in space, where there's no gravity. Yep Twelve millions. Oh and where's the funny thing would you say?

Well, the russian, who are less original used... a pencil http://www.ifrance.com/genghisk/confused.gif
Actually now I know where tax money, that american pay, goes. :) Maybe they would fund the nasa engineers week end on the tropico islands...


Also in the (funny) news. According to annanova.com, a 29 years old guy spent over $100K+ for his PS2 and his games. And he even tried to ask the priest to get him married with his console... Since they declined the request, he changed his name into playstation 2... Sony staff comments: oh well, that proves people are faithful to sony consoles... No comment.

I'll finish this thread by something less funny though. There are still stupid idiots who got caught by the breatney spears virus. After ana kournikova and melissa viruses, they haven't learnt the lesson yet. Bah They deserved that.

The gov't just *wants* you to think that the 12 million was spent on a ballpoint pen. Really, it was funneled into "black" projects such as a new virus designed to only infect Mongol Braggarts. Pretty nifty stuff, eh?

Oh, and 12 million is just a drop in a bucket. Billions of dollars are spent on toilet seats and cat-on-the-wall clocks at the Whitehouse. Its true!

The technology certainly has other applications, so I don't think that money was wasted. :) Sooner or later you need to develop a pen that can write in space. You can't use pencil for everything in space forever. :D

I heard that one before but what about the problem of pencil sharpenings in space. That would be annoying having bits of wood and graphite floating around

I heard about that NASA pen vs. Russian pencil thing before. It's just a myth, like the aircraft carrier telling a lighthouse to get out of its way. A pencil would never work in space. As Wolfe Tone said there would be graphite and wood shavings all over, and these would be dangerous to the crew breathing them in and also would get in the instrument panels.

Grease pencils. Cheap...cheap...cheap...an answer to the problem....ofcourse they don't write as neatly as pens but most of the astronauts are doctors anyways :D (Ever see them write a perscription? Sheez!)

Originally posted by GenghisK
Incredible but true. I just read that in a newspaper. The NASA has spent 12 millions of US$ over the past 10 years to create a ball pen that could write in space, where there's no gravity. Yep Twelve millions. Oh and where's the funny thing would you say?


Incredible and FALSE. Check it out at the urban legends site;
www.snopes2.com
edit link

Yes, this was in someones signature for a while, cant remember who though. . .

Lefty, That link is for a lens making company's site.

And in fact I seem to remember seeing space pens for sale when I went to mission control some years back. It uses a vacuum to hold the ink to ball.

Besides, couldn't a sharpener that holds the shavings inside something be used? Or are those not available in Russia?

Didn't know Russians had something else than armors, nuke missiles, warplanes, bomber, kalash and mafia ;)

I think the urban legends site is www.snopes2.com It is pretty good

I don't get it. I can write with a ball pen upside down, so it should also work without gravity. :crazyeye:

Pencils were cutting edge technology for the Soviets!:D
They only officially replaced the fingernail dipped in blood and the stylus in 1934. ;) :lol: :lol:

I thought the Soviets just tried to remember all the numbers, and thats why all thier sattelites are falling out of the sky.

Lets see, the airlock to the spacecraft is yea wide, and yea tall, so thats makes the door . . . far too small to work.