What's the story behind the $600 hammer?

Factual Questions
21

[QUOTE=essell]
If it’s true, I note that such pens are now for sale all over the world. Nasa probably got their money back in licence fees alone.

ETA: Snopes says False.
[/QUOTE]

I remember looking up that snopes story - it doesn’t say that NASA didn’t develop the pen, IIRC, just something along the lines of:

  • At first, both Americans and Soviets used pencils in space.

  • Americans didn’t think they were good enough and tooled around some to develop a pen that would work in zero gravity.

  • The soviets, for whatever reason, (laziness, contentment, lack of imagination) left well enough alone.

:slight_smile:

22

[QUOTE=chrisk]
I remember looking up that snopes story - it doesn’t say that NASA didn’t develop the pen, IIRC, just something along the lines of:
<deleted>

[/QUOTE]

NASA did not develop the pen. It was developed by a private company, with their own money.

Unfortunately, this is an UL that refuses to die.

23

[QUOTE=mks57]
NASA did not develop the pen. It was developed by a private company, with their own money.

Unfortunately, this is an UL that refuses to die.
[/QUOTE]

Whoops, sorry. :slight_smile:

24

[QUOTE=mks57]
NASA did not develop the pen. It was developed by a private company, with their own money.
[/QUOTE]
By Fisher Pen. Love 'em.

25

[QUOTE=yoyodyne]
By Fisher Pen. Love 'em.
[/QUOTE]

I saw the factory producing the Fisher Space pen last night on the Discovery Channel. I even told my wife about the Russian-pencil thing, trying to impress her with my awesome trivia knowledge.

26

[QUOTE=Madd Maxx]
…I even told my wife about the Russian-pencil thing, trying to impress her with my awesome trivia knowledge.
[/QUOTE]

Presumably it didn’t work. After you’ve been married a couple years, is it possible to impress your wife with anything? :stuck_out_tongue:

27

[QUOTE=Rocketeer]
Presumably it didn’t work. After you’ve been married a couple years, is it possible to impress your wife with anything? :stuck_out_tongue:
[/QUOTE]
If that’s the case, you could always go to Las Vegas for a $600 hammer…

28

I’m pretty sure there was a $600 hammer in Men’s Journal last month. I’ll track it down if I haven’t given it away yet.