Posts: 11918 From: Houston, TX Registered: Nov 1999
posted January 23, 2008 09:19 PM
Mainichi Daily News:
quote:Japanese astronaut Takao Doi is set to throw a boomerang inside the International Space Station in March to test how it flies, after receiving training from a world boomerang champion, it has been learned.
Two paper boomerangs that Togai made for Doi.
It is thought that gravity is necessary for a boomerang to return to the throwing spot, but it remains unknown how boomerangs fly in space. Doi plans to throw a paper boomerang during a break in construction and other work at Japan's Kibo testing room at the International Space Station in March.
The 53-year-old astronaut decided to test the boomerang after receiving a request from Yasuhiro Togai, 36, a world boomerang champion from Osaka Prefecture who later gave Doi some training.
Posts: 11918 From: Houston, TX Registered: Nov 1999
posted March 19, 2008 06:49 PM
Takao Doi displayed his boomerang during a live broadcast with the Prime Minister of Japan and fellow astronaut Chiaki Mukai.
"This is the boomerang that I brought here. While we are in a very narrow space I can't throw this, but I tried out an experiment the other day and I took it with my video, so I would like to show you later on."
Doi spoke about throwing the paper boomerang during our pre-flight interview with him.
Posts: 11918 From: Houston, TX Registered: Nov 1999
posted March 21, 2008 01:38 AM
Astronaut Takao Doi "threw a boomerang and saw it come back" during his free time on March 18 at the International Space Station, a spokeswoman at the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency said on Friday.
"I was very surprised and moved to see that it flew the same way it does on Earth," the Mainichi Shimbun daily quoted the 53-year-old astronaut as telling his wife in a chat from space.
The space agency said a videotape of the experiment would likely be released later.
Posts: 553 From: Smithfield, Me, USA Registered: Mar 2005
posted March 21, 2008 10:57 AM
quote:Originally posted by Robert Pearlman: Astronaut Takao Doi "threw a boomerang and saw it come back" during his free time on March 18 at the International Space Station, a spokeswoman at the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency said on Friday.
So there must be adequate atmosphere in the ISS to affect the boomerang which is basically an airfoil. And apparently "free fall" had little or no effect on it.
posted January 23, 2008 09:19 PM
