Comment Re:FaceTrace's Trace satellite destroyed (Score 1) 338
Well, there is a section of couplings at the top of the tank. The section ends about 20 feet down and that is where the explosion takes place.
The fuel is kerosene which isn't very volatile The detonation appears to occur at the coupler outside of the tank.
The conflagration to spread in less than 1/30 of a second to about 20-30 feet of the side rocket tank. There shouldn't have been any fuel there period.
I'm not sure how such a rapid conflagration is even possible (given youtube videos of hydrocarbons and liquid oxygen) unless they were dumping gallons of kerosene down the side of the tank.
Kerosene and oxygen burns at 3600 K so the result was never in doubt on an aluminum tank, but it should have taken longer.