In the video below, Japanese astronaut, Dr. Takao Doi, throws a boomerang inside the International Space Station, in a zero-G environment. In 1992 German Astronaut Ulf Merbold performed similar experiment aboard Spacelab that established that boomerangs function in zero gravity as they do on Earth. Before the experiment, they really were not sure what it would do, thinking it would probably spin up and away from the thrower, As it turns out, it acts pretty much the same as it would on Earth.
The point to remember is that this is a zero-G environment, but not a vacuum. There is air inside ISS so aerodynamics still comes into play (the lower G’s should make it fly longer though). When it spins, the blades act like airplane wings and produce lift. Start your debates in the Comments section below.
