Your tax dollars at work

[NebariNookiee]

When NASA first started sending up astronauts, they quickly discovered that ball-point pens would not work in zero gravity.

To combat this problem, NASA scientists spent a decade and $12 billion developing a pen that writes in zero gravity, upside down, on almost any surface including glass and at temperatures ranging from below freezing to over 300 C.

The Russians used a pencil.

Enjoy paying your taxes, they're coming due again.:smokin:

[stellar]

Pencil tips break and the powder residue from the lead/graphite sheds and accumulates resulting in an unaccounted for amount of debris in a debris-unfriendly environment. This debris could interfere with operations during prolonged flight.

Plus those pens are really cool... I've got one.

[vhsiv]

Didn't they find out that ball-point pens worked anyway? They're not 'gravity-dependent'; rather, there's a vacuum in the ink-reed that keeps the ink against the ball. If the air-pressure failed, or the temperature went way up, yeah, the pen wouldn't work, and the ink would bleed out, but gravity plays no part in the equation.

I wonder what Snopes.com has to say on this?

[recklesshumor]

I think this was on an episode of West Wing. They've been known to spread disinformation by quoting urban legends. I'll check into it.

[recklesshumor]

Just as we thought. Urban Legend Extraordinaire. Mostly.

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

[NYPinTA]

Well, the pencil thing might not be true, but it is true that the Russians sent a woman into space in 1963. The US? 1981. Thats just sad.

[NebariNookiee]

Didn't think I'd get so much responce from this -- I should have posted it was a joke.

Sorry :smokin: --Snoggins

[recklesshumor]

Originally posted by NebariNookiee
Didn't think I'd get so much responce from this -- I should have posted it was a joke.

Sorry :smokin: --Snoggins

It was me. I have no sense of humor. Despite what my handle might lead you to believe.

[stellar]

Originally posted by NYPinTA
Well, the pencil thing might not be true, but it is true that the Russians sent a woman into space in 1963. The US? 1981. Thats just sad.

Tell me about it. Everybody knows women in the 60s couldn't handle the riggors of space travel. The 80s either, for that matter. At least we got a good song out of it: :innocent:Ride, Sally Ride:innocent:

J/K :poke:

[talyn3]

Originally posted by stellar
Tell me about it. Everybody knows women in the 60s couldn't handle the riggors of space travel. The 80s either, for that matter. At least we got a good song out of it: :innocent:Ride, Sally Ride:innocent:

J/K :poke:

:g2f:

[db11]

Originally posted by NYPinTA
Well, the pencil thing might not be true, but it is true that the Russians sent a woman into space in 1963. The US? 1981. Thats just sad.

The Soviets were also drafting women into frontline combat roles in the later years of WW2.

[fermicat]

Originally posted by stellar
Tell me about it. Everybody knows women in the 60s couldn't handle the riggors of space travel. The 80s either, for that matter. At least we got a good song out of it: :innocent:Ride, Sally Ride:innocent:

J/K :poke:

Come on.... they will be preserved in their cushy life support pods, happily dreaming of Green Acres reruns, or something.

[NYPinTA]

Originally posted by stellar
Tell me about it. Everybody knows women in the 60s couldn't handle the riggors of space travel. The 80s either, for that matter. At least we got a good song out of it: :innocent:Ride, Sally Ride:innocent:

J/K :poke:

:fwap: :censored:

:rollin:

[stellar]

I'm just kidding. I'm not a sexist. I fully believe that women should share an equal role in space exploration... I mean the space station isn't going to clean itself.

[talyn3]

snap!

[NYPinTA]

Again I say: :fwap:

[stellar]

What? Was it something I said?

[NYPinTA]

I can find no appropriate emoticon for that... so I will say this: “Arurrggrrururur”

[stellar]

I've got your Arurrggrrururur right here. Now go make daddy some pancakes.

[NYPinTA]

:lol What if I don't want to?

[stellar]

Hassan Chop!

[NYPinTA]

This is getting us nowhere....

[stellar]

That's what she said.

[NYPinTA]

:lol

[Judith]

Stellar...you are hilarious.

[kechara420]

keep up the good fight, NYPinTA!! You...are...our...last...hope!!!

[NYPinTA]

.....nooooooooooooo!!!!

er, I mean: “Arurrggrrururur”

:rollin:

[stellar]

We need more Joe-isms.

[fermicat]

Oh no!!!!! Joe is infecting another thread.


(and my new sig will arrive sometime, I promise)

[NYPinTA]

Don't foget this one: "You sir, are a pooly poo-licker"

[NYPinTA]

Originally posted by fermicat



(and my new sig will arrive sometime, I promise)

;) :rollin: No pressure....

[stellar]

Originally posted by NYPinTA
Don't foget this one: "You sir, are a pooly poo-licker"

There are some bridges not even I will cross.

[fermicat]

Originally posted by NYPinTA
;) :rollin: No pressure....

If only I could think of something original.....

[NYPinTA]

I don't know, I think yours is original. You could always borrow from Joe, or put: "Rent This Space"

[fermicat]

Look! I changed it.

[NYPinTA]

:lol

[NYPinTA]

Originally posted by stellar
There are some bridges not even I will cross.

But midget porn is ok? :eh:

[stellar]

If it's done tastefully... yes.

[NYPinTA]

Well, you got me there... :lol

[stellar]

That's what she said. :lech:

[NYPinTA]

Frell.

"Savoifaire is everywhere...."

Edit: sorry about the spelling.

[SweetpeaAeryn]

Joe is frelling everywhere!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The Soviets were also drafting women into frontline combat roles in the later years of WW2.

My history professor told us a story on Wed. about how Russia sent a troop (I don't know terms.. but a small group... whatever...) to Alaska to pick up some planes from our military (all men.) The Russian women pilots were looked down on by the American males and when taking off one woman did a roll, while rising in like a... I wanna say he said B52? Is that right? He said it was like one of the biggest planes...

(Sorry, I'm not the best person to tell this story, since I don't know ANYTHING about the army, air force, etc.) But it was really cool! :)

[stellar]

I hope she at least had the decency of making them a nice home-cooked meal first.

[SweetpeaAeryn]

Originally posted by stellar
I hope she at least had the decency of making them a nice home-cooked meal first.

:lol