FOG HORN

Inked In History: 75 Years Later, Fisher Space Pen Co. Is the Product of the American Dream & Strong Family Values

BOULDER CITY, NV (October 10, 2023) – It’s only fitting during World Space Week, and on the day the Fisher Family and the ballpoint pen industry celebrate the birth of its most famous architect, that Fisher Space Pen Co. take time to recognize its Diamond Jubilee – 75 years since an American Dream spurred an evolution that is still thriving, inspiring, and writing to this day.

American inventor, engineer and pioneer Paul C. Fisher was born on this day 110 years ago, the beginning of a proud family legacy that only continues to strengthen nearly 17 years since his passing at age 93.

The world saw an abundance of life-changing inventions prior to and throughout the 20th century, including the television, radio, airplane, electricity, jet engine, refrigerator and microwave. One line of products worth noting helped revolutionize the ballpoint pen forever – the Fisher Space Pen.

Since its conception in 1948, Fisher Space Pen has been the industry leader in producing writing instruments beloved by millions of Americans as their everyday carry pen. Reflective of America’s enthusiasm for the Fisher Space Pen, it was featured in an episode of the hit comedy “Seinfeld.” Furthermore, it is part of the permanent collection at the New York Museum of Modern Art, representing the highest industry standard that excels in practicality and design.

In 1948, Fisher Space Pen had a humble beginning as Fisher Pen Company, a small business founded by an inventor and pen manufacturer, Paul C. Fisher. Up to this point, mass-produced pens were often unreliable, and refills were frustrating to use due to leakage or overflowing ink. Five years after Paul Fisher began manufacturing his own ballpoint pens, he transformed the pen industry by creating the Universal Refill Cartridge. His invention solved the problems of refills and made using and maintaining ballpoint pens easier and more convenient than ever. Finally, people no longer had to purchase and carry multiple-sized cartridges for their ballpoint pens from different companies anymore!

However, Fisher’s vision and pursuit of all-around American ballpoint pens did not stop there. In 1966 Fisher invented and patented the Sealed and Pressurized Fisher Space Pen Ink Cartridge. In this cartridge, thixotropic ink is pushed by pressurized nitrogen gas and dispensed by a tungsten carbide ball. This cartridge allowed the Fisher Pen to write at any angle. The Sealed and Pressurized Fisher Space Pen Ink Cartridge equipped the AG7, the “Anti-Gravity” Original Astronaut Pen later chosen by NASA for its space missions.

Not only known as a business and political visionary, but Fisher’s engineering feats also are so legendary that in a 1991 article, the Chicago Tribune wrote that Fisher was “a creatively gifted engineer. The Henry Ford of the ballpoint pen industry, you could say.”

Although Fisher Space Pen’s presence in the American public has been significant in multifold ways, its involvement in space travel makes its history and products even more fascinating.

According to Scientific American, it was a problem for NASA that the average pen could not write in space due to the lack of gravity as they were searching for writing instruments for astronauts while the Space Race continued. The astronauts first used pencils like their Russian counterparts. But those pencils were fragile and combustible – not exactly a desirable quality for supplies going into NASA space shuttles, especially after the Apollo 1 disaster. The mechanical pencils that came into the picture next were so expensive that they caused public criticism. That was when Paul C. Fisher presented his AG7 to NASA. The Original Astronaut Space Pen debuted on the 1968 Apollo 7 space mission after 18 months of robust testing by NASA. The Fisher Space Pen’s journey into space expanded as Russian space programs adopted it in 1969.

With the fast-growing demand for its products both from the public and the space shuttles, Fisher Pen Company moved its location to a new 30,000 ft² manufacturing post in Boulder City, Nevada, in 1976. Then, in 1981, Fisher’s Chrome Plated Shuttle Space Pen began and has been onboarding every crewed space flight NASA has ever conducted.

The popularity of Fisher Pens kept growing with its Chrome Bullet Pen starring in “Seinfeld” Season 3 Episode 3, “The Pen” in 1991. Fisher Space Pen Co. also continued collaboration with diverse significant organizations and corporations such as the Smithsonian and America Online and was featured in events such as the Everest North Face Ski Expedition. Fisher Space Pen even became the first-ever product demonstrated by cosmonauts from space during a live show on QVC Television Shopping Network! 

After Paul’s death, his son Cary Fisher, President, Donald “Dock” Wong, Co-Owner and the Head of Operations, and Paul’s grandson and Cary’s son Matt Fisher, Vice President, have carried on Paul’s legacy. Under their leadership, Fisher Space Pen flourished as an ever-growing, family-owned company trusted by its long-time employees and customers. The company’s odyssey of excellence and spirit of adventure has continued to bear fruit to this day with a culture of success built on mutual respect, dignity and commitment to quality. 

“If there’s anything I can take away from my grandfather after all these years, he had a quote that always sunk in with me,” said Matt Fisher, Vice President of Fisher Space Pen. “And that was, ‘anything that is not being improved upon deteriorates; therefore I must strive to improve myself.’ That resonates with me and translates to our responsibility to the company, the employees – our lifeblood, and ensuring they always have a home here.”

From 2016-2019, Fisher Space Pen celebrated the 50th anniversary of the invention of the Fisher Space Pen Ink Cartridge (2016), the 50th anniversary of Apollo 7 and Fisher Space Pen Co. onboarding space missions (2018), and the 50th anniversary of Apollo 11 and Fisher Space Pen stepping on the moon (2019). The same year, Fisher Space Pen officially installed a permanent exhibition in the Apollo/Saturn V Center at NASA Kennedy Space Center in Titusville, Florida. In 2020, the AG7 Astronaut Space Pen boarded the Falcon 9 Rocket as it launched with Crew Dragon, a staffed spacecraft by NASA SpaceX. In December 2022, Fisher Space Pen Co. celebrated its three-year partnership with the U.S. Space Force, and most recently, Fisher Space Pen was part of mission essentials for the Axiom-2 Space Mission, the second all-private astronaut mission to the International Space Station (ISS) conducted by partner Axiom Space. The list goes on!

The glorious success of Fisher Space Pen for over seven decades on the planet and in outer space comes down to the pure brilliance of its products. The second-to-none reputation of Fisher’s Pressurized Ink Cartridge stems from its supreme writability, versatility and dependability. Every Fisher Space Pen writes in extreme temperatures ranging from -30 to 250 degrees Fahrenheit. It also writes at any angle, including upside down and in microgravity. No wonder astronauts love it so much! You can also write through grease and even underwater using the Space Pens. Fisher’s products also come in visually pleasing designs: Cap-O-Matic’s with a retractable point; Bullet Space Pen’s shining with brilliance second-to-none, Backpackers that allow you to take your pen with you on any adventure, and the all-new Cerakote-coated Space Pens that takes our level of indestructibility to new heights.

Fisher Space Pen Co. has become an all-around presence in American life. As Fisher Space Pen continues its partnership with the U.S. Space Force, NASA and many other commercial space entities, the writing ability of future generations of astronauts during their space explorations is forever guaranteed. What’s more, one does not even have to be an astronaut to experience the ever-satisfying quality of the Fisher Space Pen products. Whether you are a first responder, construction professional, or outdoor enthusiast, having this reliable writing companion in your pocket means you can write anywhere and in any condition. Proudly made in America using materials sourced both nationally and globally, the Fisher Space Pen is one single pen that will conclude your search for a writing device you can truly count on!

“I think our grandfather would be very proud of where we’ve taken the company in recent years,” concludes Matt. “Through the difficulty of COVID, we succeeded and survived, and we took care of all of our employees who have been there, some of them going on 40-plus years, and held us as babies. It’s incredible; we really have a beautiful family.”

About Fisher Space Pen

Fisher Space Pen Co. is a 74-year-old American manufacturer of ballpoint pens, with the notable distinction of being the only ballpoint pen used on every crewed flight into space since Apollo 7 back in 1968 and most recently with SpaceX, Axiom Space and Blue Origin. While pressurized technology made it possible for NASA’s astronauts to write in space, it also provided writing capabilities in all-weather, underwater, over oil and grease and from -30 to +250 degrees Fahrenheit. These pens are the perfect tool for trade professionals, first responders, military, rugged outdoor enthusiasts, trekkers, backpackers, industrial manufacturers, underwater divers and anyone who values a pen that doesn’t fail.