The fleecing of America: boondoggles, overbudget, behind schedule, cost over-runs. Government contractors wasting taxpayer money. A commonly-told folly is NASA’s million-dollar space pen. Have you heard this one? Author Gary Goodman says: “Astronauts didn't have a pen that could write [in zero-gravity.] NASA invested upward of $1 million to devise a pen that could. [The Russians] faced the same problem, but … solved it for less than a dollar. They decided to use a pencil.” But the million-dollar space pen is not today’s dumb idea. What’s dumb is that this entire story is a myth.
Astronauts do need to write in space. In 1965 NASA paid a ridiculous $129 each for a mechanical pencil. After the public outcry, they dropped the contract. Pencils didn’t even work well in space because the leads broke off and could be inhaled.
Then they learned that inventor Paul Fisher was developing a pen that could write upside down. Fisher was an eccentric who ran for President twice (um, he didn’t win), but possessed an incisive mind. After he worked out the kinks, astronauts tested his nitrogen-pressurized pen and were delighted. According to Scientific American’s Ciara Curtin, the space pen needs no gravity assist because its thixotropic ink remains solid until motion-activated. It works in freezing or scorching temperatures; writes on butter, steel, underwater, and even in the vacuum of space. To top it off, NASA got their space pen for just two-dollars and 39 cents. It’s flown on every mission since Apollo 7, and yes, the Russians use it, too. Today you can get one for as little as eight dollars.
A million-dollar pen? Not even close. Yet fifty-years later, this canard was trotted out to promote a book on critical thinking. In contrast, Paul Fisher’s smart idea is the one we should remember.
I’m Jeff Gentry
Best reference:
Curtin, C. (2007). NASA spent millions on a pen able to write in space? Scientific American, 297(2), 104. https://doi.org/10.1038/scientificamerican0807-104
Dumb Ideas that Changed the World copyright 2024 by Jeff Gentry. All rights reserved.
Further reading:
Stinkin' Thinkin': 37 Mental Mistakes, False Beliefs & Superstitions That Can Ruin Your Career & Your Life : 37 Mental Mistakes, False Beliefs & Superstitions That Can Ruin Your Career & Your Life
Description:
The US space program faced a problem. Astronauts didn't have a pen that could write inside a zero-gravity capsule. NASA invested upward of $1 million to devise a pen that could. Their rivals faced the same problem, but they solved it for less than a dollar. They decided to use a pencil. This story is emblematic of two styles of critical thinking and problem solving. America defined its quandary as a pen problem. 'Fix the pen' became the marching order. Others defined the issue as a writing challenge, so alternatives were more likely to be considered and adopted. Most people lose friends, happiness, and career opportunities because they employ inadequate thinking skills and allow biases, false beliefs, and superstitions to govern their behavior. Even highly skilled professionals, such as physicians and attorneys, are not immune from bad thinking and runaway emotions. They can cost their clients fortunes and even their lives through poor advice and misdiagnoses. This unique program will help you to: Identify the strengths and limitations of your dominant thinking styles Consider various models for tackling common and unusual challenges Apply case studies and hands-on opportunities to use different methods to analyze problems and generate multiple effective responses Adopt easy methods for creating clarity in thought and written and verbal communications Take practical pathways to success
