You've probably heard the story: NASA spent millions developing a pen that could write in space while the Russians just used pencils. It's told as the ultimate example of government waste and American over-engineering. There's just one problem—it's completely false. But the real story is actually better.
In the early days of space exploration, both American astronauts and Soviet cosmonauts used pencils. It seems like the obvious solution, right? Pencils work without gravity, they're cheap, and they're reliable. Except they're also incredibly dangerous in a spacecraft.
Here's the problem: pencils create debris. When you write with a pencil, tiny fragments of graphite and wood shavings break off. On Earth, they fall to the ground. In zero gravity, they float. And in the enclosed environment of a spacecraft, floating conductive graphite particles are a disaster waiting to happen.
Graphite is conductive, meaning it can cause electrical shorts in sensitive equipment. One floating graphite particle landing in the wrong circuit board could disable life support systems, navigation, or communications. Wood shavings are also flammable—and fire in a spacecraft is one of the deadliest emergencies possible.
Additionally, pencil tips can break off and become floating hazards. Imagine a sharp piece of pencil lead drifting into an astronaut's eye, or getting inhaled into their lungs. In the confined quarters of a space capsule, even small debris is a serious risk.
So NASA needed an alternative. Early on, astronauts used grease pencils and felt-tip markers, but these had their own problems—limited lifespan, inconsistent performance, and some contained flammable or toxic materials. What they really needed was a pen that could write reliably in zero gravity, extreme temperatures, and a vacuum.
Enter Paul Fisher, an independent pen manufacturer. Fisher spent his own money—about $1 million—developing what became known as the Fisher Space Pen. This wasn't a NASA contract or government boondoggle. Fisher took the financial risk himself, hoping NASA would buy his invention once it was proven.
The Space Pen uses pressurized nitrogen to push ink toward the tip, allowing it to write upside down, underwater, in extreme temperatures (-30°F to 250°F), and in zero gravity. The ink is also specially formulated to be non-toxic and non-flammable. Fisher patented the design in 1965 and rigorously tested it.
After two years of testing, NASA purchased 400 Fisher Space Pens in 1967 for about $6 each—roughly $2,400 total. Not millions. Not even hundreds of thousands. Less than the cost of a used car. And here's the kicker: the Soviet space program bought them too.
In 1969, the Soviets also started purchasing Fisher Space Pens for their cosmonauts. They faced the exact same pencil problems NASA did—floating debris, fire risk, electrical shorts. Both space programs independently concluded that pencils were too dangerous and switched to the same solution.
So where did the myth come from? The story became popular in the 1990s as an example of bureaucratic absurdity, but it reversed what actually happened: a private entrepreneur solved a real problem at his own expense, then sold an affordable solution to both space programs. It's almost the opposite of government waste.
The Fisher Space Pen is still manufactured today and costs about $50. You can buy the same pen that's been to the International Space Station, survived moon missions, and solved a problem that stumped two superpowers. And it all happened because pencils—the "simple" solution—were actually a terrible idea.