2-839-723 - Heritage Art/Heritage Images

Boomerang, ca. 1969. This boomerang, an example of the "first aerodynamic shape conceived by man," was presented in 1969 to NASA astronaut Michael Collins by the Australian Television Network Channel 7 in celebration of the success of the Apollo 11 Moon landing that July. After Apollo 11, Collins, the command module pilot, and his two crewmates, the first moonwalkers Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin, embarked on a 45-day world tour. Commemorative items like this one, prepared by organizations, companies, or nations, provided a tangible demonstration of the enthusiasm for the first Moon landing. Collins, later the director of the National Air and Space Museum and an undersecretary of the Smithsonian Instituion, gave the boomerang to the National Collection in 1986. Boomerangs are thrown tools used by Aboriginal Australian peoples for hunting. The design dates back to at least 10,000 BCE.