[OT] pens that cost a lot

Yes, this is OT. I'll put my head on the block... Mr.Beast, please prepare the
Guillotine...

I read the link that someone posted on the 2 quizillion dollar pen
saving Aldrin and co. Spider Robinson seems like a semi-credible source.
What I didn't get was: Spider implied that a number 2 pencil could not have
done the same job the space pen did and that the Apollo 11 astronauts would
have been corpsed. If it was just a matter of flicking the switch, why
wouldn't a number 2 pencil have sufficed? Or was it something to do with
electrical conductivity? (for which a graphite and wood pencil might not have
sufficed?). I'm kind of confused... (note to
Derek and Laserlight: This is _not_ an invitation to poke fun...).