Comment Pen? (Score 1) 241
Many years ago, both the Americans and the Soviets were discovering the difficulty of writing in space. A few civilian Americans developed the Space pen. Called the AG7, the ballpoint is made from tungsten carbide and is precisely fitted in order to avoid leaks. A sliding float separates the ink from the pressurized gas. The thixotropic ink in the hermetically sealed and pressurized reservoir is claimed to write for three times longer than a standard ballpoint pen. The pen can write at altitudes up to 12,500 feet (3810 m). The ink is forced out by compressed nitrogen at a pressure of nearly 35 psi (240 kPa). Operating temperatures range from 30 to 250 F (35 to 120 C). The pen has an estimated shelf life of 100 years. They are very, very expensive, as you might expect.
The Russians used a pencil.