In the early years of space flight, both Russians and Americans used pencils in space. Unfortunately, pencil lead is made of graphite, a highly conductive material. Snapped graphite leads and particles in zero gravity are hugely problematic, as they will get sucked into the air ventilation or electronic equipment, easily causing shorts or fires in the pure oxygen environment of a capsule.
After the fire in Apollo 1 which killed all the astronauts on board, NASA required a writing instrument that wasn’t a fire hazard. Fisher spent over a million dollars (of his own money) creating a pressurized ball point pen, which NASA bought at $2.95 each. The Russian space program also switched over from pencils shortly after.
40 years later snide morons on the internet still snigger about it, because snide morons on the internet never know what they are talking about.
(Source: yourresidentginger, via brave-coeur-de-rouge)
#there are films about dogs #and books about dogs #and entire television series about dogs #and not a one of them will ever explain dogs #as well as this one scene in this one kids movie that is not even strictly about dogs #explains dogs.
(Source: levitted, via scarymerry)
GUYS SOMETHING HAS HAPPENED IN THE WIZARDING WORLD TODAY
GUYS
GUYS
SOMETHING HAPPENING
WHAT IF THERE WAS ANOTHER DARK LORD BUT NOW HE WAS DESTROYED BY A BABY??
WHAT IF SOMETHING HAPPENED IN AMERICA INSTEAD OF THE U.K??THE WIZARDING WORLD IS REAL YOU GUYS!!
Can you tell that there hasn’t been a new book for six years?
(via scarymerry)
After a wild success, we decided to make our Pride and Prejudice/Lizzie Bennet Diaries flowchart available for reblog! Which character are you?
Artwork and design by Rosie Strom and Keri Payton
The Scottie Pinwheel
I’M SCREAMING THIS IS THE CUTEST THING I’VE SEEN IN ALL OF MY LIFE
(Source: jakesthrobbingpenis, via historicalawesomeness)
