When former NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson lifts off on her first business space mission, she is going to have a well-recognized tool along along with her.
Fisher Space Pen has partnered with Axiom Space, the Houston-based space services company that Whitson now flies for, such that she and her crewmates on the upcoming Ax-2 mission can be the primary to make use of Axiom-branded Fisher space pens. Whitson used NASA-issued Fisher space pens on her three previous flights to the International Space Station.
“I’m enthusiastic about the concept that we’re continuing the legacy of taking Fisher pens to space,” said Peggy Whitson in a video released by Fisher on Tuesday (May 16), five days before the primary launch opportunity for the Ax-2 mission. “It’s really been a really long history [for] these space pens. I’m looking forward to using them again.”
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Although Whitson holds the records for essentially the most time in space by an American and by a girl, her 666 days (thus far) pale compared to the full years logged by Fisher space pens, which first launched in 1968 and have since been flown to the moon and utilized in Earth orbit.
Ax-2 pilot John Shoffner and mission specialists Ali AlQarni and Rayyanah Barnawi, each with the Saudi Space Commission, can be the primary first-time fliers to make use of Fisher space pens as they travel with Whitson aboard a SpaceX ‘ spacecraft and live to tell the tale the International Space Station for his or her eight-day mission.
“Our partnership with Axiom Space is one giant step in extending my grandfather’s legacy,” said Matt Fisher, vp of Fisher Space Pen and the grandson of the late Paul C. Fisher, who in 1966 invented the pressurized ink cartridge that makes Fisher’s pens ideal to be used in microgravity. “He would have been ‘over the moon’ excited to see this partnership come to fruition.”
Starting with Ax-2, Fisher Space Pen will provide Axiom Space’s clients and crew with its black titanium nitride Astronaut Space Pen emblazoned with Axiom’s logo. The pen is comparable to the model first utilized by the Apollo 7 astronauts, only with a dark titanium body. The unique astronaut pens were produced from solid brass with a chrome finish.
As well as, Fisher is offering to the general public its Bullet and Cap-O-Matic space pens, also bearing Axiom’s logo, with a brand new coating.
“This unique Navy Blue color is from Cerakote’s ‘ELITE’ series,” reads Fisher’s description. “The ‘Elite’ series is understood to rival Teflon with unmatched abrasion, corrosion and chemical resistance, while maintaining a premium feel and appear,”
The black titanium nitride Astronaut Space Pen, equivalent to the sort Whitson, Shoffner, AlQarni and Barnawi will use, is now on the market from Fisher’s website for $118 each. The Bullet space pen in Elite Navy Cerakote retails for $46, while a version with a black clip is 2 dollars more. The blue Cap-O-Matic is $43.
In response to Fisher Space Pen, the Axiom Space partnership is predicted to increase beyond Ax-2 to the corporate’s continuing private missions, including launches to Axiom’s business space station under development. Axiom is the one company to have an agreement with NASA to dock its first modules to the International Space Station, where they can be outfitted and tested before flying independently in Earth orbit.
Axiom Space was also chosen by NASA to develop and provide the spacesuits for Artemis 3, the primary mission to land a girl and the following American on the moon. While a pen was not explicitly mentioned, Axiom previously said it could be equipping its AxEMU suit with the entire tools that an astronaut would want while exploring the lunar south pole.
“Teaming up with Axiom Space is a fantastic honor of ours,” said Matt Fisher. “And we’re humbled that they’ve chosen us to partner up on this historic mission, and we sit up for the longer term with them.”