5 ms·
or just paint behind the robot
by peterbraden 4y ago
or just paint behind the robot
- rayiner 4y agoAnd use a pencil instead of inventing a pen that works in zero gravity.
- happymellon 4y agoThe pencil introduced graphite dust into the air that caused electrical problems. This is why astronauts use a pen. Sometimes the "cheap and simple" way has side effects that are more harmful than the original problem.
- jakear 4y agoOil pencils and wax pencils are a thing too.
- happymellon 4y agoThey are, and the Soviets stopped using them because - The paper peeled away is a fire hazard - The oil and wax writing smudges and is a terrible way of writing - The floating bits of paper from sharpening the pencils was a mess and since they float, got in people's faces. Generally those are terrible ideas too, especially compared to a $100 for a pen. It's really not that much compared to every other cost.
- jakear 4y agoWhat about mechanically advancing wax rods? The question isn’t whether the unit price of a super-pen is less than that of a consumer-waxpencil, but rather the R&D cost of the super-pen vs that of a supposed super-waxpencil.
- happymellon 4y agoNASA didn't spend any R&D on it as it was developed by a third party, so that point is moot as the answer is $0. https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/fact-or-fiction-nasa-spen/ https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/fact-or-fiction-n...
- matkoniecz 4y agoAnd Russian space station (while they had one) was notorious for repeated fires. Probably that approach to safety was cause for it.