Fisher’s space pen and pencils in space

The popular story that NASA spent millions inventing a space pen while Soviet cosmonauts simply took pencils is a myth. Entrepreneur Paul Fisher developed a pen with a sealed, pressurized cartridge; NASA tested it and flew it on Apollo 7 in 1968. Pencils were also used on early space flights, but their tips could break and float through the cabin, creating a risk to people and electronics; Soviet cosmonauts later used the Space Pen too.