Eli5 why do falcon heavy boosters gain altitude after disconnecting

Question

I was watching a falcon heavy launch on YouTube. In the corner of the screen it shows speed and altitude of the rocket, I noticed that once the boosters disconnected they continued to gain altitude before finally coming back down to earth. Iscit the momentum that carries them further?

In: 1

Answer 1

It *is* the momentum that carries them further.

They’re moving up at thousands of mph. Even after they disconnect, they need to lose all that vertical speed before they start falling again.