Knife for the Astronauts

[Sean]

Hadn't seen these before, and was quite surprised to read the description of why
they made the blade the way they did.  Check it out...

http://cgi.ebay.com/Emerson-Astronaut-NASA-Knife-Knives-REPLICA-Mint-in-Box_W0QQitemZ170456995654QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item27b0075746

[jzmtl]

Strange, as if they couldn't open their freeze dry food without the gut hook? If it's safety they are worried about, I guess NASA haven't heard of scissors?

[Spoonrobot]

Yikes. $200 for someone's creative work with a round file.

[heavy handed]

i was hoping it would be some sort of gravity knife( )

[Gareth]

i was hoping it would be some sort of gravity knife( )

  groan.
 

If I were an astronaut then I think I'd want to keep my SAK over that TBH.  I genuinely can't see the advantage of the notch.

[Neil]

If it were an original I think it would be an interesting historical piece but as is .. leaves me cold 

[Sean]

Ya, well, hey... and you were going to throw your old knife away that had the
"huge chip" outta the blade?  

[Fisting_Chili]

I don't get how a gut hook on the blade would make it any easier to cut open a plastic bag...?

[Freudian Frog]

I don't get how a gut hook on the blade would make it any easier to cut open a plastic bag...?

Safer, not better.

Strange, as if they couldn't open their freeze dry food without the gut hook? If it's safety they are worried about, I guess NASA haven't heard of scissors?

And they couldn't have put the hook on the back of the blade or something like any other hunting knife?

[Gareth]

I don't get how a gut hook on the blade would make it any easier to cut open a plastic bag...?

Safer, not better.

Strange, as if they couldn't open their freeze dry food without the gut hook? If it's safety they are worried about, I guess NASA haven't heard of scissors?

And they couldn't have put the hook on the back of the blade or something like any other hunting knife?

I can't even see how it's safer.  You still need to open the blade up, right?  Or am I missing something?

[BlueDot]

There's the old legend about the "space pen" for astronauts.  During the race to the moon, NASA took over a year, and millions of $$$ to develop a pen that works without gravity, and writes on most surfaces.

Russia gave their astronauts a pencil.

[Kmarr]

There's the old legend about the "space pen" for astronauts.  During the race to the moon, NASA took over a year, and millions of $$$ to develop a pen that works without gravity, and writes on most surfaces.

Russia gave their astronauts a pencil.

When I heard NASA+knife I thought it was a space age material lighter than balsa wood and hard as diamonds....then I looked at the link and found out someone chipped a blade, made it look purposeful and fabricated a clever story about freeze dried food wrapped in 3 layers of kevlar

[boss429]

To open food packs is a cover story.Being located on the "Space coast" my super secret NASA source has revealed to me it's true purpose is to take out fellow Russian astronauts in case of an act of war by the Russians.(But you didn't hear it from me)

[Spoonrobot]

There's the old legend about the "space pen" for astronauts.  During the race to the moon, NASA took over a year, and millions of $$$ to develop a pen that works without gravity, and writes on most surfaces.

Russia gave their astronauts a pencil.

 
http://www.snopes.com/business/genius/spacepen.asp

[Gareth]

There's the old legend about the "space pen" for astronauts.  During the race to the moon, NASA took over a year, and millions of $$$ to develop a pen that works without gravity, and writes on most surfaces.

Russia gave their astronauts a pencil.

 
http://www.snopes.com/business/genius/spacepen.asp

Even more I've heard that a normal bic/biro pen will work just as well due to capillary action.  They don't need to be pressurised at all.

[Mike, Lord of the Spammers!]

There's the old legend about the "space pen" for astronauts.  During the race to the moon, NASA took over a year, and millions of $$$ to develop a pen that works without gravity, and writes on most surfaces.

Russia gave their astronauts a pencil.

 
http://www.snopes.com/business/genius/spacepen.asp

Interesting link that

[Luxor]

There's the old legend about the "space pen" for astronauts.  During the race to the moon, NASA took over a year, and millions of $$$ to develop a pen that works without gravity, and writes on most surfaces.

Russia gave their astronauts a pencil.

That is a myth. In fact NASA also used mechanical grease pencils until they were approached by Paul Fisher who ask NASA to try the pen (the pen was Paul Fisher invention without any government funds). It was a markting move by Paul Fisher and the reason why its now called "space pen". The "space pen" has big advantages over pencils and was used almost at same time by both the american and soviet space agencies.

[Zack]

Graphite+highly sophisticated computers+zero gravity=problems.