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Pastimes : Laughter is the Best Medicine - Tell us a joke -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Peter S. Maroulis who wrote (12921)	12/29/1999 8:28:00 PM
From: PMS Witch	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 62549

U.S. space pen vs Soviet pencil. On one of the moon landings, after a 'stroll', a knapsack full of moon rocks accidentally struck the 'start' switch and broke it off. If the astronauts ever wanted to visit Earth again, they needed something to jimmy the switch. The only thing on board suitable for the job was the 'space pen', which saved their bacon. Cheers, PW.

To: Peter S. Maroulis who wrote (12921)	12/30/1999 10:23:00 AM
From: MNI	Respond to of 62549

I love the space pen (I have one from a relative's visit to Cape Canaveral), as it is possible to use it overhead, or underwater (especially the former item is unusual with ball pens nowadays). The only 'trick' is that the jelly inside is kept under pressure while it is in an open tube in usual ball pens. However that is nothing new. The original ball pen, I think produced in Germany in the 1910s or 20s, had already the pressurized tube version, which was later abandoned for ease and cost of production. Guess what was the marketing trick of that first ball pen? 'With this novel pen, you can write your postcards under water, or over your head, come on try it right here ... ' :-))