22 Apr
2005
22 Apr
'05
2:21 a.m.
And for using pencils in space: Having loose bits of
nicely
conductive graphite dust floating around the interiour of your space
vehicle is a seriously bad idea since this is just asking for random
shorts in your onboard electronics.
Perhaps. But in the absence of other functional writing instruments,
what choice is there? Does it cost more to develop (or, as you point
out, buy after someone else develops) bad zero-gee pens or to put good
filters in the air circulation system?
Or use pencils made of pure wood together with sheets of carbon paper?
...what *did* the cosmonauti use? Is the pencil story an urban legend,
or is there historical basis for it? (I've seen it elsewhere, but
never with any sources cited.)
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