That is not exactly true, in the early days both used pencils. Then when fisher came up with a "space" pen both space programs used space pens. Much safer than having a pencil lead break off. Having a conductive bit of trash float in behind a panel with all sorts of electrical connections in it is not a good thing.

http://www.snopes.com/business/genius/spacepen.asp

Don't buy Write in the Rain pens. They stink. I had one that lasted less then a week this summer at boot camp. Their notebooks and paper are the bomb though, highly recommended!

I like the Red Army (or was it Adolph Hitler?) saying that can be the best approach to self defense.

"quantity has a quality all of it's own".

Never mind getting the black belt; just turn up with 20 pals :-).
The Sock

does yours have the removable clip? I ordered some bullets and they had removable clips.

I guess it is clear from the above msg that I went with the space bullets. The shape and closed size made it most attractive. I'm going to try it with the clip for a while...then without. I tried to get them locally but everyone was sold out. Luckily, I found a shipper who was ready to send and got them in time.

Thanks all for the input. It was truly appreciated.

BTW, I didn't go with rite In Rain as I've had some poor results. I didn't try any of those with rubber grips/parts/etc. Over time they will come off and why replace when I don't have to? In the short-term they sound like they would be a little better though. As for the longer pens, or those with more classic shapes, I wanted something I'd be likely to carry, and full-sized pens (when closed) didn't really work for me in any of my experiments. I also found them more likely to catch on stuff, where ther shape of the bullet might not creaqte the same issues.

You're right, it is untrue. People like to hear about the government spending outragous amounts of money on ordinary items but most of those stories just never happened.

Originally both NASA and the Russian space agency used mechanical pencils. The Fisher pen company developed the "space pen" independantly and asked NASA and the Russians to try them out. They both used them and paid $2.39 per pen.

Here's a good account:

http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?chanID=sa004&articleID=9CF01C5C-E7F2-99DF-3EEFFCD06138AEC4

Interesting. I'm just wondering why NASA had their space pens for $3.98 (before the "in bulk" discount), but we have to pay "the low, low price of $50.00"?

Also, why not a pencil? We don't have to chase the chipping graphite particles flying away and straight into our cell phones circuitry...

Personally, I prefer a sharp point permanent marker.

The ultimate survival 'pen' is still a pencil. Little known fact: A pencil, as long as it is gently sharpened, will write more pages and last longer than any pen. Pencils are usually lighter, they never freeze or leak, they are still usable if broken and they provide a ready supply of tinder if your in a bind.

I have also used the graphite in a pencil to keep a firearm going after it gummed up from dust and sand. I removed the bolt assembly, wiped everything dry and spent some time rubbing the side of the pencil point on the pieces until they developed a shine from the graphite. Put back in the mechanism worked smoothly and shrugged off the dirt.

That said, I usually have a pen in my pack. But I always have a pencil. Don't look down on the simple reliability of a pencil.

I agree with SwampDonkey. Find a pen you like for weight, style, size, etc., then just get the Space Pen Refills.

I like a thick, heavy pen (easier to write with when using a wrist brace). I've received several as company promo gifts. After I'd been embarrassed enough when it stopped writing on paper with hand oils, I got a Space Pen refill and have never looked back. Much cheaper than the full pen, especially when I've lost them.

Space Pen has refills for Fisher, Cross and other brands.
http://www.spacepen.com/Public/Products/PenRefills/

Tirec

rei has a nice model...all black about $10