| The Space Pen. The very name would make Galileo's | | | | semisolid ink that only became liquefied due to the |
| heart skip a beat. Legend has it that NASA scientists | | | | rolling ball's shearing action. He then pressurised the ink |
| spent millions of taxpayer dollars in designing a writing | | | | refill with nitrogen so that the promotional pen would |
| instrument for use in space. Yet, contrary to popular | | | | work without relying on gravity. Fisher presented his |
| belief, the invention of zero gravity promotional pens | | | | anti-gravity pen to NASA and, beginning with the |
| had nothing to do with NASA. So, what makes these | | | | Apollo 7 mission, astronauts have used Fisher's |
| printed pens so unique? | | | | invention ever since. |
| In the midst of the Cold War, U.S. president John F. | | | | Like the original, today's promotional space pen is |
| Kennedy announced a dramatic goal to land a man on | | | | made of the highest quality materials. The rolling ball is |
| the moon before the decade was out. The "Space | | | | crafted from tungsten carbide and is precisely fixed to |
| Race" was on. Every detail of such an unprecedented | | | | avoid leakage. The space pen reportedly writes three |
| mission had to be perfect, and this included the | | | | times longer than the average promotional ballpoint and |
| astronauts' ability to take notes. Pencils, both | | | | can function upside down, underwater, and in extreme |
| mechanical and wooden, had been used in the | | | | temperatures (from -35 to 120 Celsius). These |
| Mercury and Gemini missions, but printed pencils | | | | features make the space pen the logical choice for |
| created a few problems. For one, the lead in | | | | both astronauts in space and climbers on an Everest |
| mechanical pencils could easily break, which posed a | | | | expedition. |
| danger in the zero gravity of space. The flammable | | | | Zero gravity promotional pens aren't just suited for the |
| nature of wooden promotional pencils also presented | | | | extremes; they're a great choice for the everyday |
| risks. NASA needed a better solution. | | | | situations in which we find ourselves. Choose a printed |
| Meanwhile, a man named Paul Fisher had been | | | | space pen for the plumber or electrician who must |
| working on a special ink cartridge that would enable ink | | | | often work on their backs in cramped areas. Or give a |
| to flow only when the user wanted. All other | | | | space pen as a personalised gift to the engineer or |
| promotional pens rely on gravity to generate ink flow, | | | | would-be inventor in your life. With such a unique and |
| so traditional ballpoints are inoperative in space. Fisher's | | | | versatile instrument, the possibilities for use are truly |
| experimentation led to the use of thixotropic ink, a | | | | limitless. |