Yes, this technique was critical to understanding the break up of the space shuttle Columbia as it re-entered. The debris track stretched across Texas and Louis

Yes, this technique was critical to understanding the break up of the space shuttle Columbia as it re-entered. The debris track stretched across Texas and Louisiana, and in general objects to the west were those that had broken off first. Although things were confused because differences in ballistic number affected how far fragments travelled eastward, and in some cases modules broke off, travelled east and then disintegrated into sub-components.