Does a boomerang thrown in space return to its pitcher?
Yes. If it is thrown inside an air filled area, such as a space station, as was the case last week aboard the International Space Station, for Japanese astronaut Takao Doi.
If, however, the boomerang had been thrown outside the space station in the vacuum of space, there would be no aerodynamic forces to make it return to its thrower, Caughy says. In that case it would behave like a rock or any other object thrown from the space station, moving along a “straight” path that would only be bent by Earth’s gravity or a collision with another object.
Air, not gravity, is required to ensure the return of a boomerang.
