Fisher Space Pen

The Fisher Space pen is unique because it writes in zero gravity, and has developed iconic status. The Bullet Pen is the flagship product of the Space Pen Line, fitting neatly into a pocket. There is a bullet style pen on permanent display at the New York Museum of Modern Art, having been cited as an example of ‘exquisite industrial design’. The space pen was also featured on the episode The Pen on Seinfeld. To read more please visit the Fisher Space Pen Website.

The Fisher Space pen was invented by Paul C Fisher in the 1960s, and was subsequently adopted by the American and Russian space agencies. Before the space pen, astronauts used grease pencils and plastic slates.

The pressurized ink cartridges allows the user to writes in zero gravity, upside down, underwater, over wet and greasy paper, at any angle and in extreme temperature ranges. A sliding float separates the ink from the pressurized gas, and the ink is forced out by compressed nitrogen. It has been claimed that Fisher Space Pen refills can write for 3 times longer than a standard ballpoint pen.

History of the Fisher Space Pen Paul C Fisher demonstrated an aptitude for engineering at a very early age, and went on to study Science at Kansas University in 1938. He was introduced to the world of pens in 1945 when Milton Reynolds of Chicago invented the first ballpoint pen. Although his invention attracted interest, it soon wore off as people realized it was of inferior quality. Reynolds turned to Paul Fisher for help.

Paul Fisher helped Reynolds create a new ballpoint pen by supplying him with the parts he requested. Reynolds soon retired from the pen business a multi-millionaire, and Paul Fisher saw the opportunity to develop the ballpoint pen. In 1948 he discovered his most influential invention, a small pocket pen that is now known as the Bullet Pen. A success from the start, the Bullet pen is the flagship pen of the Space Pen line.

During the 1960s, at the height of the Space Race, Mr Fisher realized the need for a pen that wrote in zero gravity. Consequently he invented the pressurized ink cartridge, which was adopted by NASA. The Fisher Space Pen was used during the Apollo program, went to the moon and is used today on manned space flights.