NASA spent $170,000 developing a pen that worked in Zero G. They proudly showed it to the Cosmonauts on the Space Lab. They asked the Russians what they used. “We use a pencil” was the answer.
Gee, they’re still $30-40 per pen. :-(
In fairness, powdered graphite (a conductor) from pencil lead doesn’t mix well with microswitches and other sensitive electrical devices, and can also get into the eyes of the astronauts.
But can it write under whipped cream? I think not.
Love, Curley
Gotta love the Russians. The last thing I’d want in zero g would be conductive graphite particles floating around my electronics. Or lungs.
I banned pencils in my cleanrooms decades ago!
That space pen story is an urban legend.
Both the US and Russia used pencils. After the Apollo One fire NASA wanted something that wouldn’t burn. The space pen was developed by private industry. It is now used by both the US and Russian space programs.