Well it’s about time. Nationalist pride has done more for space exploration than all the other more noble sentiments such as furthering the sum of human knowledge.
It’s all about being able to say:“Nyah Nyah, we were first, neener neener…”
But if a good thing is being done for a bad reason, is it so bad?
[QUOTE=carnivorousplant]
I would think that broken pencil points and shavings in a weightless environment would be a pain in the ass…er, eye nose and throat.
[/QUOTE]
Crayons?
[QUOTE=Bosstone]
Yeah, but it’s fun to say.
Tang. Tang tang. Taaaaang. Tangtangtangtang.
I’ll go now.
[/QUOTE]
I like Tang. Whenever someone says, ‘Do you want some Tang?’ I say ‘Yes, please.’
Incidentally, a similar drink was enjoyed by whalers. Harpoon Tang.
[QUOTE=Laughing Lagomorph]
Crayons?
[/QUOTE]
They wear out fairly quickly, though. And who’s going to take a table filled in with orange crayon seriously?
I’ve heard biros work fine in space. Too lazy to find a cite.
Do felt tip pens depend upon gravity?
[QUOTE=Phase42]
NASA spent millions of dollars developing a pen that would write in zero-gravity.
[/QUOTE]
Only they didn’t. Fisher developed the pen entirely independently, then convinced NASA to try it. Turns out, though, that most ordinary ballpoint pens work just fine in microgravity.
[QUOTE=BrainGlutton]
It’s been done.
[/QUOTE]
Curse you. I came in to post this.
ARRRRRRGH!
[QUOTE=Q.E.D.]
Turns out, though, that most ordinary ballpoint pens work just fine in microgravity.
[/QUOTE]
I’m unable to find that.
This is typical:
Will they use the same old rocket that they’ve used since Gagarin? I would think that sending a lot of heavy stuff to the moon would require a ultra-heavy lift rocket. The last one they built blew up!
[QUOTE=Q.E.D.]
Only they didn’t. Fisher developed the pen entirely independently, then convinced NASA to try it. Turns out, though, that most ordinary ballpoint pens work just fine in microgravity.
[/QUOTE]
That’s why I said “joke” — I’d heard it stated as a joke, and didn’t know whether or not it was true. 
[QUOTE=ralph124c]
Will they use the same old rocket that they’ve used since Gagarin? I would think that sending a lot of heavy stuff to the moon would require a ultra-heavy lift rocket. The last one they built blew up!
[/QUOTE]
They had the N1-L3, which had 30 engines and was to be the Soviet Moon rocket. But it never had a successful flight and was cancelled in 1976. An Energia, discontinued at the same time as the Soviet Union, might have been used with eight strap-on Zenit rockets.
Good question.
[QUOTE=Bosstone]
Yeah, but it’s fun to say.
Tang. Tang tang. Taaaaang. Tangtangtangtang.
I’ll go now.
[/QUOTE]
'Course, it’s really only half a word. But talk about fun! 
[QUOTE=Phase42]
What’s that old joke? “NASA spent millions of dollars developing a pen that would write in zero-gravity. The Soviets used pencils.”
[/QUOTE]
[QUOTE=ralph124c]
Will they use the same old rocket that they’ve used since Gagarin? I would think that sending a lot of heavy stuff to the moon would require a ultra-heavy lift rocket. The last one they built blew up!
[/QUOTE]
Note that they’re setting a target date of 2025. Plenty of time to develop something.
Why not? The weathers better than Siberia!