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To: Robear
If the tail and engines separated at the same time, one would expect the tail to land significantly behind the engines. The tail is subject to a lot more aerodynamic drag per unit mass than the engines. So while the tail will tumble and "flutter" to the ground, the engines will continue on like a pair of rocks, and will wind up quite close to one another. Think of it as trying to throw a feather compared to throwing a rock. Which goes farther?

Also, if it were an "energetic" separation (think kaBOOM!), then the tail section would have had a negative reletive velocity vector applied, making the distance between tail and engines even greater.

My two cents, everthing came apart simultaneously and fell in accordance with aerodynamic drag.

207 posted on 11/13/2001 2:00:00 PM PST by gridlock
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To: gridlock
I thought so at first, but the fact that the engines landed within 2 blocks of the frame indicate otherwise. The engines have different weight mass. Assuming horizontal trajectory, wouldn't they have had to land in significantly different location from the frame?
223 posted on 11/13/2001 2:06:12 PM PST by rit
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