Apollo 7

Then things began moving very quickly.

Apollo 7 tested the command module in Earth orbit in October 1968.

And just two months later, Apollo 8 did something extraordinary.

Frank Borman, Jim Lovell, and Bill Anders became the first human beings to leave Earth orbit and travel all the way to

I think they even had, you know, Ty.

Ty was, you know, tweeting the, you know, Apollo 7 or whatever they call it.

Right.

They have like a name for it.

Using mechanical pencils solves some of these problems, but broken-off lead tips still have the potential to float behind control panels and short out vital electronic equipment.

As a result, by the time of the Gemini and Apollo programs, NASA had largely replaced mechanical pencils with grease pencils and felt-tip pens.

Nonetheless, the agency still desired a ballpoint pen that could work reliably in space.

Not only would such an instrument be more compatible with paper checklists and notebooks than grease pencils and felt pens, but the marks could be far more permanent.

Fischer patented the design in 1965 and that same year presented it to NASA officials for evaluation.

After extensive testing, in 1967 NASA placed an order for 400 Fischer Space Pins at $2.95 a piece, around $30 today.

First flown aboard the Apollo 7 mission in October of 1968, the pen was used throughout the Apollo, Skylab, and Space Shuttle programs, and continues to serve reliably aboard the International Space Station.

Whether used to keep mission-critical records in outer space, or file a tax return back down on Earth, Laszlo Biro's elegant invention has become a ubiquitous part of our lives, an indispensable tool that attracts little attention, but is always sorely missed when needed.

But then on October 11, 1968, things seemed to be getting back on track.

When Apollo 7 was successfully launched with three astronauts on board who managed to orbit the Earth and return safely.

Two months later, on December 21st, Apollo 8 successfully orbited the Moon.

This was followed by Apollo 9, which orbited the Earth.

During the Apollo program, NASA did not attempt a lunar landing until the fourth crewed mission of the program.

Apollo 7 tested the command module in Earth orbit in October 1968, verifying that the Block 2 spacecraft was safe for crew after the Apollo 1 fire that killed three astronauts during a launch pad test in January 1967.

Apollo 8 flew to lunar orbit in December 1968, demonstrating that the Saturn V could send a crewed spacecraft to the Moon, and that the navigation and communication systems worked at lunar distance.

Apollo 9 tested the lunar module in Earth orbit in March 1969, with astronauts undocking, flying the lunar module independently, testing its descent and ascent engines, and re-docking with the command module.