Can someone, Cecil if possible, please verify this?
When NASA began the launch of astronauts into space, they found out that the
pens wouldn’t work at zero gravity (Ink won’t flow down to the writing
surface).In order to solve this problem, they hired Andersen Consulting
(Accenture today). It took them one decade and 12 million dollars. They
developed a pen that worked at zero gravity, upside down, under water, in
practically any surface including crystal and in a temperature range from
below freezing to over 300 ºC.
The Russians used a pencil…
However, I think the Russians tend to be more practical in their space hardware design. Their spacesuit is a one-piece construction where you crawl in from a huge hole in the back; the American suit consists of 5 separate pieces. The Soyuz system is so modular and flexible that it’s still in use, while the Apollo from the same era was completely replaced by a new launch system.
Pencils aren’t that practical in space. Lead breaks. (How many times do you have to sharpen your pencil? In school I was the pencil sharpener king. I write so hard my pencils were perpetually dull. Mechanical pencils were the greatest invention since sliced bread for me.) Do you really want to keep track of your pencil lead and various smaller particles floating around in the air you are breathing, or can float into your eye, or can get into an electrical switch and cause a short circuit, etc?
The multi piece (including arm and leg inserts) construction of the U.S. suits means they can be resized in kits, to have greater ability to fit better a wider range of astronauts. Russian hardware limits astronaut size to a lot tighter median size - I don’t know specifics. Whereas the U.S. program is designed to accommodate the 95th percentile size American man down to the 5th percentile Indian woman (biggest men down to smallest women). The better fit allows greater range of movement. Especially the gloves. U.S. gloves have full wrist range of motion, fully dextrous fingers, fairly tactile fingertips, and are far less fatiguing than the Russian gloves. The Russian gloves are more like mittens, are stiffer, have a smaller range of motion, less fingertip sensitivity, and tire the user much quicker. Tiring also applies to the rest of the suit. U.S. astronauts in EMUs can work for 7 hour spacewalks without stopping. Russian spacewalks are designed so the astronauts take rest periods during the dark phase and work during the light, cycling every 45 mins. (Some of that is the Russians using a higher working pressure.)
There is an experimental U.S. suit that was part of development for the next phase of space suits. It is a one piece, enter through rear hatch. The benefit is ease of donning/doffing, possible higher working pressure. The trade off is flexibility of sizing suits, and effect of higher pressure on ease of joint mobility, especially in gloves.
You are grossly misrepresenting the history of how the Saturn rockets and Apollo capsules were replaced by the Space Shuttle. The U.S. could have kept flying that system, but chose to go in a new direction.