12 million dollar Pen
 

When NASA first started sending up astronauts, they discovered that ballpoint pens would not work in zero gravity. To combat this problem, NASA scientists spent a decade and $12 million developing a pen that writes in zero gravity, upside down, underwater, on almost any surface including glass and at temperatures ranging from below freezing to over 300C.

When confronted with the same problem, the Russians used a pencil.


Makes you think..........

Re: 12 million dollar Pen
 

thats really funny.

some things that people/organizations do the oddest things, and dont seem to realize that theres an alternative that would be so much easier.
thanks for the laugh!

-Lana :yikes:

Re: 12 million dollar Pen
 

http://www.truthorfiction.com/rumors/s/spacepen.htm


fiction but it still makes you think

and now you can buy them for 30 bux for 2

http://www.gadgetbabe.com/showpage.a...9K&kw=nasa+pen

Re: 12 million dollar Pen
 

ha, thats a good link greg... it just goes to show i shouldn't believe all the chain mail i get from my friend (i should have included that it was chain mail originally so i didnt offend anyone).

I guess it may make sense to spend 2 million and sell it and make 4 million is a good profit. Now that im at -57 Rep for spreding a chain letter i got... I didnt know that 3 reds would make it so low! :(

Re: 12 million dollar Pen
 

Yeah, I've got one of those pens. Pretty handy when I'm signing things upside down. :cool:

Re: 12 million dollar Pen
 

Agreed. I write underwater a lot. Hard to keep the paper together though. ;)

Re: 12 million dollar Pen
 

Us russians and our pencils.

w00t.

Russian pride!

Edit: Not at all meant in seriousness...^^...though I am actually Russian (yay)

Re: 12 million dollar Pen
 

Its a good thing that they sell those pens here on earth, they come in handy for those everyday low-grav situations :p

Re: 12 million dollar Pen
 

well if we keep one and some paper in your pocket during skydiving, you can jot down your experience too

Re: 12 million dollar Pen
 

The question is, what happens to the paper and pen when you fall?

Seriously speaking, what is the quality of these pens? If they can survive space (so assumed) can they survive sky diving? Or for that matter, Dance Dance Revolution? There are a lot of things to be made a note of in DDR, and it would help to have a pen to write down things when you fall down on your rear and need to tell someone to get you up. ^^ Coming of course, from a personal experience that occurred about 18 months ago... :P

Re: 12 million dollar Pen
 

I just bought an Fisher Space Pen AG-7 a few days ago. It arrived in the mail today and I would have to say it's probably the best pen I've ever used (it better be for the price I paid for it).

Now it's time to do some underwater, 0 gravity, -30degrees F, and 300degrees F test....j/k :)

Re: 12 million dollar Pen
 

well you'll probably have to duct tape them on to someplace so they dont go flying away... flying..? no. more like.. umm... well the paper would have more air resistance/mass so ..umm.. well... you'd just have to hold on to it..
wouldnt it be quite close to zero G? how close to 'actual' zero G can you get to when you fall? even from an airplane..
is it 'true' weightlessness? or do you still feel the pull of gravity when you skydive? i want to skydive... so if you do still feel some.. what does it feel like?
or does the wind (do you call it wind? you know, you're the one moving but the air might not be... is 'wind' relative?) mess up your senses? or the view?
can you overpower a second sense (of the 5) with one? ive heard when you feel like sneezing but cant, you look at something bright and it'll stimulate your optical senses enough to 'help' complete the sneeze. is that true? does that have anything to do with what i was asking before? which was.. umm....yah...im tired now....hope someone understands... im sorry i kinda drifted the topic of a 12 million dollar pen.. well,, if anyone feels up to it, please create a new thread which my off topic thoughts would be more appropriate.. :D

Re: 12 million dollar Pen
 

Well, If I had 12 million dollars of "pocket change" laying around maybe I'll jump out of a plane and let you know. :p