This pen / pencil thing has been corrected so many times for so many decades that it’s ludicrous people are still bringing it up.
scientificamerican.com/…/fact-or-fiction-nasa-spe…
Random bits of pencil lead floating around in a high tech environment is such a poor idea that even the Soviet’s quit using pencils once Fisher’s Space Pen was available. A pen which Fisher itself paid to develop and then sold to both NASA and the Soviet Space Program.
Alk@sh.itjust.works 10 months ago
Well I get the analogy, but also I think they didn’t use pencils because of the graphite and complications with filtering air or something.
catloaf@lemm.ee 10 months ago
Graphite is conductive. A short circuit and fire are Very Bad.
AlternatePersonMan@lemmy.world 10 months ago
Couldn’t you just use a charcoal pencil or crayon instead?
catloaf@lemm.ee 10 months ago
Yes, but neither of those wrige as cleanly. And both are still prone to fragmenting, even if the fragments aren’t conductive.
Telorand@reddthat.com 10 months ago
You may be right. It’s just easier to get the sentiment across that way than expound about how it’s ridiculously complex and overbuilt to achieve menial results.