Alan Erskine wrote:
"richard schumacher" wrote in message
...

Or something as simple as thrust created by gas exhausting from the
(new) cooling system. Geez Louise. Does Falcon 1 use anything other
than explosive bolts and springs for stage separation? How many more
basic errors can they afford to re-discover?

Other than the two mentioned, what can be used for stage sep?

Think it through. Like any other space vehicles, attitude control
thrusters, or if the forces and vectors involved were very mild, you
could use momentum wheels to rotate the first stage away from the stack.

If you really understand the behavior of the engine and the stack, you
could even do it passively. It's mostly in the precise sequencing.

If there wasn't a mechanical or electrical failure, then it must have
been a fundamental misunderstanding of the separation forces involved.