Praxis22, Yes, but our pens work underwater, and upside-down, too! And they don't need anything sharp to give them a fresh point (sharp things being a problem in zero-g). Since pencil lead is compressed graphite and graphite is a lubricant, the dust from the pencil leads could also present a problem if it got into the wrong places. The Russian solution is rather charmingly elegant, and I like it. I can see why we tried to find another solution, though. I also suspect that we learned something about fluid dynamics in a variety of environments which they did not, and that some of what we learned could be applied to other problems. I doubt if money spent in research is ever wasted whether we get a product or not. Every one of you who rides a lightweight bicycle or sharpens a knife on a ceramic rod or uses a modern widget with unpronouncable alloys should raise a toast tonight to the space program. We may never walk on another world but our daily lives here have already been improved by the research which has been done. Carolly