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  STS-123: Doi to throw Togai boomerang

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Author Topic:   STS-123: Doi to throw Togai boomerang
Robert Pearlman
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Posts: 42981
From: Houston, TX
Registered: Nov 1999

posted 01-23-2008 09:19 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Robert Pearlman   Click Here to Email Robert Pearlman     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
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.


Robert Pearlman
Editor

Posts: 42981
From: Houston, TX
Registered: Nov 1999

posted 03-19-2008 06:49 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Robert Pearlman   Click Here to Email Robert Pearlman     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
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.

MCroft04
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Posts: 1634
From: Smithfield, Me, USA
Registered: Mar 2005

posted 03-19-2008 08:30 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for MCroft04   Click Here to Email MCroft04     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
My money is on the boomerang not returning unless is bounces off something. But it's a fun idea!

Robert Pearlman
Editor

Posts: 42981
From: Houston, TX
Registered: Nov 1999

posted 03-21-2008 01:38 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for Robert Pearlman   Click Here to Email Robert Pearlman     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
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.

MCroft04
Member

Posts: 1634
From: Smithfield, Me, USA
Registered: Mar 2005

posted 03-21-2008 10:57 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for MCroft04   Click Here to Email MCroft04     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
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.

Robert Pearlman
Editor

Posts: 42981
From: Houston, TX
Registered: Nov 1999

posted 03-21-2008 04:26 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Robert Pearlman   Click Here to Email Robert Pearlman     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Hopefully, the video (whenever it is made available) will show more about the nature of the boomerang's flight.

In the meantime, JAXA has released a photo of Doi with the boomerang:

Download the high-res version (1.4mb)

Robert Pearlman
Editor

Posts: 42981
From: Houston, TX
Registered: Nov 1999

posted 05-01-2008 12:34 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Robert Pearlman   Click Here to Email Robert Pearlman     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
And here's the video of Takao throwing the boomerang in space!

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