Was NASA’s Pen Extravagant or Worth It?

You can purchase NASA’s Fisher Space pen for less than $30 today. And while it has impressive features, it was once a source of ridicule for the space program. According to urban legend, the space agency spent millions of dollars on a biro while its Russian counterparts used pencils.

NASA did opt for a privately-developed Fisher Space pen. One issue with pencils was the risk posed by graphite particles from them. In addition, the flammable nature of wood was another reason why NASA used the Fisher Space pen in 1965. Ironically, the Russians also switched to the biro for subsequent space missions.