Space Pen - Any Direction, Any medium

                                                                                After looking this image one may question himself "How come that guy over there is writing underwater?" rather than "What is he writing over there?" Well its pretty upsetting that we have lost so many book writings in our school days, while we drenched in rains. Wonder how it would be if we were like this guy. Perhaps nothing is mysterious until the mystery is unlocked. Another question that lingers in one mind is how do astronauts write in space? Quick reply to all these questions is SPACE PEN. Let's see what is Space pen and its mechanisms.

It is said that NASA has spent millions of dollars to invent a pen that can work under Zero Gravity. Why usual pens won't work under zero g? Well, a pen needs gravity to be pointing in the direction of your writing angle to make the ink flow onto the paper. You can try this by writing with your pen upside down. It was Paul C Fisher who first invented a pen that can work under Zero g, underwater, greasy surface etc. He named it Fisher Space Pen. Even after his invention, NASA performed thousands of test to use it as a space pen.

Overleaf of Fisher Space Pen covering

Space pen works on the fact that the Nitrogen gas pressurizes at 240 kpa the ink fluid placed in between Tungsten Carbide ball and Sliding float(See picture).  Space pen is three times more reliable and powerful than a standard ball point.. Operating temperatures range from −30 to 250 °F (−35 to 120 °C). The pen has an estimated shelf life of 100 years.

An Astronaut using his Space Pen

                                                             
Watch Fisher Space pen working underwater at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N7GsWpd9s8c. Plan to buy a space pen and feel the way it is? Check out http://www.jabong.com/accessories/fisher-space/