Smithsonian Magazine

Buzz Aldrin Used This Humble Felt-Tip Pen to Save the Apollo II Astronauts. It Just Sold for More Than $850,000

In July 1969, a quick-thinking Aldrin used the writing instrument to rearm the engine arm circuit of the lunar module "Eagle" ...

The Plastic Pen That Saved Apollo 11: How a Simple Felt-Tip Kept Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin From Being Stranded on the Moon

A broken engine switch threatened to leave the first Moon walkers trapped on the lunar surface until an ordinary pen became ...