Ball Point Pens...

When NASA started sending astronauts into space, they quickly
discovered that ball-point pens would not work in zero gravity.
To combat this problem, NASA scientists spent a decade and
$12 billion developing a pen that writes in zero gravity, upside-down,
on almost any surface including glass and at temperatures ranging
from below freezing to over 300 C.

The Russians used a pencil.

Your taxes are due again, enjoy...