During the heat of the space race in the 1960’s, 

NASA quickly discovered that ballpoint pens 

would not work in the zero gravity confines of its space capsules.


After considerable research and development, the 

Astronaut Pen was developed at a cost of $1 

million. The pen worked in zero gravity, upside 

down, underwater, on almost any surface including 

glass and also enjoyed some modest success as a 

novelty item back here on earth.

The Soviet Union, when faced with the same 

problem, used a pencil.