EDC Pen Back to the Moon

There has been a pen on every NASA crewed mission since 1968. It’s not a pencil. Not the stylus. It’s not just any space-age writing tool you think. A ballpoint pen that costs less than dinner for two, made in a factory in Boulder City, Nevada. The Fisher Space Pen claims to be the only type of writing instrument that can fly on both the Apollo and Artemis missions, and now there’s a new special edition to prove it.

Amount: $89
Where to Buy: Fisher Space Pen

The Artemis II AG7 dropped on February 19, and it works better as a piece of history than a writing instrument, although it is both. NASA’s Artemis II mission will carry four astronauts around the Moon for the first time since Apollo 17 in 1972, a gap of more than 50 years. Fisher is marking the occasion with a titanium nitride blue version of the AG7 Astronaut pen, the same model that has been aboard spacecraft since the late ’60s.

What you actually get

The AG7-BLTN-ART (Fisher likes the model number) is a classic Astronaut pen wrapped in a blue titanium nitride finish. The barrel carries an engraved pattern inspired by Artemis orbital graphics, lines intended to evoke speed and forward motion. It sounds like marketing language, but the engraving is designed to catch light differently depending on the angle. The finish is not just a color. Titanium nitride is often applied through visible vapor deposition, the same bonding process used in cutting tools and surgical instruments, so the blue won’t slip or fade the way paint does.

The details are straightforward. The pen measures 5.06 inches open, 5.12 inches closed, with a 0.37-inch diameter. It uses a Fisher PR4 pressurized cartridge with black ink, the same cartridge that writes at any angle, upside down, underwater, through oil, and temperatures from -30°F to 250°F. A pressurized cartridge pushes the ink to the end instead of relying on gravity, which isn’t always available when orbiting the Moon.

The story is the product

Fisher didn’t just slap something blue on his best-selling pen and call it a day. The Artemis II edition is a commemorative release tied to a mission that hasn’t happened yet. Artemis II will be the first crewed spacecraft to orbit the Moon since the Apollo era, when Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Jeremy Hansen flew on Orion. Fisher pens have permeated every NASA employee’s work since Paul Fisher’s pressed pen was released on Apollo 7.

That history is what separates this from the regular limited edition. It’s not a different color or collaboration with a streetwear brand. It’s an $89 pen tied to a nearly 60-year relationship between a small Nevada pen company and the space program. The original AG7 Astronaut pen retails for $79, so you pay a $10 premium for the titanium nitride finish and Artemis engraving. That’s a reasonable request for the pen to double as a conversation piece with a real origin.

Who should care

EDC collectors who already own a Fisher Bullet or original AG7 will want this in a display case. The blue titanium nitride finish is truly different from the standard chrome or matte black options, and the Artemis tie-in gives you a time stamp that future editions will never duplicate. Once the mission is flown, this becomes a “pre-deployment” release.

To everyone else, it’s still the Fisher Space Pen. It writes reliably in situations where other pens fail. If you’ve ever tried to write a note in the rain, sign a clipboard while holding it upside down, or write on a greasy card in the office, you already know why pressed ink is important. The AG7’s form factor is thicker than the pocket-friendly Bullet, closer to a standard pen in the hand, and the clip fits in a shirt pocket without slipping.

If you’re looking for a great writing instrument with flex nibs and Japanese ink flow, this isn’t it. It is a place to play football. It writes like a ball point. A pressurized cartridge makes the line a little bolder than gravity-fed pens. Fisher never pretends to compete with fountain pens or rollerball enthusiasts, and that honesty is part of the appeal.

An important point

At $89, the Fisher Space Pen Artemis II AG7 sits in the sweet spot between everyday tool and collectible. The titanium nitride finish adds real durability. The painting of Artemis adds real history. And the compressed cartridge adds the same reliability that has made these pens last in space for sixty years. It won’t change the way you write. But what you’re holding may change.

Amount: $89
Where to Buy: Fisher Space Pen

The Artemis II AG7 is available now from Fisher Space Pen for $89. The extensive Artemis collection also includes the Matte Black Bullet Space Pen and the Original Astronaut Space Pen, starting at $79.