COPYCAT: Why the Pen is Mightier than the Pencil
You might have heard that NASA spent millions on a pen while Soviet cosmonauts simply brought pencils to space. It's a great story about overthinking solutions—except it's completely wrong.
When Simple Isn't Smart
The reality? The "simpler" pencil solution created three critical problems in space:
- Floating graphite particles that could damage astronauts'…