Answer to Question #78280 in Astronomy | Astrophysics for hamid

Question

is it true that we don't use Pencil in space.we use pen there. if yes why?

Answer 1

Earlier the Russians as well as NASA used to use the pencil in space in order to keep their records. They were looking for an alternative to the pencil as the pencil posed many threats in space i.e. Zero Gravity conditions:
• The Graphite present in the pencils was prone to cause a disturbance in the electrical conduction of the intricately designed systems.
• The graphite in the pencils had a tendency to cause explosions or a fire due to the graphite particles.
• There was also a risk of fire due to the wood or wood particles which is used in these pencils.
• The result of these records which were maintained could be easily manipulated and were shoddy in appearance, thus , they were smeared in appearance and were not permanent.
This lead to the development of the Fisher space pen by Paul Fisher which helped to overcome all these difficulties.