Technology from Special Space Pen

Exploring space could be the imagination of many people. However, because the journey through outer space is not easy, only a few people who can like an astronaut who is a professional in his field. With science and technology that a provision of the astronauts and advanced tools that support space travel, human ideals achieved in 1969 when for the first time humans first set foot on the Moon. To support such a spectacular way, two years earlier made a fairly sophisticated tools at the time, the space pen that even the technology used until now.

Special pen space was first designed by Paul C. Fisher, in July 1966. The test pen space includes underwater conditions, space weightlessness, vacuum and pressure. Pen space was tested the first time in Houston, Texas headquarters of the United States space agency NASA and tested by the Director of NASA itself. In 1967, the space pen was considered to have passed the test and selected for use by the Apollo astronauts in 1969.

Special pen ink from outer space made of a material that is quite complicated. Namely, thixotropic, ie, a solid-phase material with cohesive gel ink, adhesive and viscoelastic (having a high viscosity but elastic). Ink is able to resist the pressure in the vacuum of outer space. These inks are guaranteed not to dry for 100 years. Part of the ink which is a rubber sealant is extra hard and tight so it is used to hold the ink not to be sucked in by the vacuum pressure. Rubber have been studied and recommended.

To push the ink out, a tube about the size of half a pinky finger was filled with nitrogen gas power pressure. Meanwhile, the tip of the pen is made of stainless steel shaped ball will spin tune when driven. Thixotropic ink attached to the steel ball is very smooth so that they can slip between the rubber sealant viscoelastic. Although subtle, the ink is still firmly legible under any conditions.