Re: The Pencil needs charging?
FFS.
1 -- Russians use the Fisher space pen, as well, and have -- like NASA -- since the late 1960s, since they had the same worries as NASA had about bits of physically-irritating, flammable, and electrically-conductive graphite floating around in their capsules.
2 -- While not DESIGNED as a multifunction tool, the pen can do things that a pencil, arguably, can't -- like firing your take-off rockets after removing your EVA pack in a cramped capsule breaks off the necessary control-panel toggle switch (Ask Buzz Aldrin, if you don''t believe me!).
3 -- As a side-note: Paul Fisher developed the pen unrequested by NASA and on his own dime, submitted samples to NASA for testing and NASA ended up buying them from Fisher at the, at the time, market price of $2.95 each.
This has been debunked so friction' many times and people STILL use this horsehockey as the go-to example of government inefficiency and waste. (grumblegrumblemutterdamnfoolkids...! AN' GIT OFFA MY LAWN!!)