It is believed gravity is needed for a boomerang to fly back to the throwing spot, but no one has tried in zero gravity.
"Mr Doi said he will personally carry a paper boomerang for the upcoming mission and we presume he will try it when he has spare time,'' said an official of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency.
(Via Aberrant News.)
Wait a second -- he's throwing a boomerang in a space station? Is this a good idea? Judging from the photos I've seen, there's hardly room to piss inside the International Space Station, let alone engage in recreational pastimes. Plus, what if he hits something, you know, important, like an airlock toggle or an attitude control thruster?
I'm just saying.
4 comments:
It is believed gravity is needed for a boomerang to fly back to the throwing spot, but no one has tried in zero gravity.
Where is Mr. Science? Um, folks, it's not GRAVITY that causes a boomerang to return to the thrower (if thrown correctly). It's AIR. If you had one of those huge, open, O'Neil-style cylindrical space habitats to throw the boomerang in, it would STILL return to the thrower (if thrown correctly), even with the habitat de-spun, so there would be no artificial gravity either. It's all in the aerodynamics. So of course, if they throw the boomerang on a spacewalk, it ain't gonna come back.
And, of course, since primitive aborigines could not have known anything about aerodynamics, the boomerang MUST have been given to them by visitors from space....
And, of course, since primitive aborigines could not have known anything about aerodynamics, the boomerang MUST have been given to them by visitors from space....
Excellent point! I'll call the Discovery Channel immediately! :-)
Oh, INSIDE the space station. (Why don't I learn to read?) Well, assuming there's sufficient room, what I said above applies. If thrown correctly, it should return to the thrower. Gravity has nothing to do with it. It's all aerodynamics. The story did say a PAPER boomerang, and a Japanese astronaut, so presumably it's some kind of mini-origami boomerang that won't do any damage if thrown....
Excellent point! I'll call the Discovery Channel immediately! :-)
Hah! However, I can't claim originality for that one, though I can't remember exactly where I came across it. Maybe Von Daniken?
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