|
|
|
...Or there they were, as the case may be. Right at my feet, the first pieces jumped right out at me. The forward fuselage impact area, while much smaller, was also exactly where it was supposed to be...when I'm right, I'm really on. |
 |
The first piece I spotted, right out of the car. A titanium piece next to something else, something rather heavy in comparison. We'll get a closeup of those later. Nothing stands out like metal in the desert. |
 |
These were not large pieces of debris. They're teeny. |
 |
The point is, you're not going to see this impact point until you practically trip over it. The picture to the left is taken standing in the heart of the forward fuselage impact area, the densest debris field. See anything? And no, the SR-71 is not the dark blue thing on the right.... |
 |
A few of the composite pieces had taken on the natural red of the dirt. Had it not been for the dark black titanium screws on this piece, it would have gone completely unnoticed. As I looked closer, the little track I had bumped along to get near the debris field actually had pieces of composite material ground into the ruts. That's how indistinct the stuff was, especially if you weren't looking for it. |
