This is one of my most cherished collectibles. This Fisher space pen is a 1994 birthday gift from my good friend Tan Joon Gei, when we were studying at Imperial College. He studied Civil Engineering whereas I studied Chemical Engineering. I remember the pen was on sale for a limited time and in limited quantities at the Science Museum next to Imperial College. I guess he must have noticed that I was a regular visitor of the museum and that I enjoyed exploring the exhibits very much, so a gift from the museum is the best one can give. To me it was an excellent choice.
Fisher Pressurized Pen
BOULDER CITY , NV89005
#PR4 BLACK MEDIUM
BK5#10 USA 197
BOULDER CITY , NV89005
#PR4 BLACK MEDIUM
BK5#10 USA 197
The following is further information from Wikipedia.
Technology
The ballpoint is made from tungsten carbide and is precisely fitted in order to avoid leaks. A sliding float separates the ink from the pressurized gas. The thixotropic ink in the hermetically sealed and pressurised reservoir is claimed to write for three times longer than a standard ballpoint pen. The pen can write at altitudes up to 12,500 feet (3810 m). The ink is forced out by compressed nitrogen at a pressure of nearly 35 pounds per square inch (340 kPa). Operating temperatures range from -30 to 250 degrees Fahrenheit (-35 to 120 degrees Celsius). The pen has an estimated shelf life of 100 years.
Uses in the U.S. and Russian space programs
There exists a common urban legend claiming that because a standard ballpoint pen would not work in zero gravity, NASA spent $11 million developing the zero-g capable Space Pen, with the humorous note that the Russian space agency opted to simply use pencils. In fact, NASA programs have used pencils (for example a 1965 order of mechanical pencils) but because of the danger that a broken-off pencil tip poses in zero gravity and the high flammability of both the graphite and wood present in pencils, a better solution was needed.
On top of all that, it turns out that a standard ballpoint pen will work in space after all.
NASA never approached Paul Fisher to develop a pen, nor did Fisher receive any government funding for the pen's development. Fisher invented it independently, and then asked NASA to try it. After the introduction of the AG7 Space Pen, both the American and Soviet (later Russian) space agencies adopted it. Previously both the Russian and American astronauts used grease pencils and plastic slates.
The ballpoint is made from tungsten carbide and is precisely fitted in order to avoid leaks. A sliding float separates the ink from the pressurized gas. The thixotropic ink in the hermetically sealed and pressurised reservoir is claimed to write for three times longer than a standard ballpoint pen. The pen can write at altitudes up to 12,500 feet (3810 m). The ink is forced out by compressed nitrogen at a pressure of nearly 35 pounds per square inch (340 kPa). Operating temperatures range from -30 to 250 degrees Fahrenheit (-35 to 120 degrees Celsius). The pen has an estimated shelf life of 100 years.
Uses in the U.S. and Russian space programs
There exists a common urban legend claiming that because a standard ballpoint pen would not work in zero gravity, NASA spent $11 million developing the zero-g capable Space Pen, with the humorous note that the Russian space agency opted to simply use pencils. In fact, NASA programs have used pencils (for example a 1965 order of mechanical pencils) but because of the danger that a broken-off pencil tip poses in zero gravity and the high flammability of both the graphite and wood present in pencils, a better solution was needed.
On top of all that, it turns out that a standard ballpoint pen will work in space after all.
NASA never approached Paul Fisher to develop a pen, nor did Fisher receive any government funding for the pen's development. Fisher invented it independently, and then asked NASA to try it. After the introduction of the AG7 Space Pen, both the American and Soviet (later Russian) space agencies adopted it. Previously both the Russian and American astronauts used grease pencils and plastic slates.
1 comments:
yo Tyson!!
ha ha.... stumble across this blog
i forgotten about da pen... b'cos it was so long ago...
your write up made my day!! i will be smiling for at least 1 month :)
imagine something about 15pound maybe... made 2 person feel good 10 years later. definitely worth da money
your buddy
Joon Gei
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