- MEMO 6 / OCT 2015 - There is a myth that during the space race, NASA invested a million dollars and scientific resources to develop a pen that would work in zero gravity, while the USSR space program solved the problem by taking a pencil into space. The myth, although false, has an interesting reflection. Omitting the value of the useful can be extremely costly under certain circumstances. The objects, tools and complex utensils speak of a search and interpretation of an unresolved problem. We associate complexity with price and then through a reason we issue a value judgment: “expensive because it is a space pen” or “cheap because it is a simple pencil”.
They have taught us that objects from faraway places, made from exquisite materials or made through refined processes, argue their price in a tangible way. Reality proves otherwise. Being convinced that there is an invaluable design value in simplicity and that this value is also intrinsic to the price of the product causes discomfort and sometimes distrust. Back to “the space pen”, this was patented by the Fisher Pen Company years after the NASA commission. you can buy it nowadays and it's a fantastic pen for certain conditions.
