This is just for the teaser question (do not know the answer for the real one). I think you can pull the puzzle apart by  

>!  simultaneously pulling all six pieces surrounding the center. Each piece moves along the vector connecting the center of the middle tile with the center of the moving tile. Something like this:  
>!  
>!  [![enter image description here][1]][1]


  [1]: https://i.sstatic.net/mqkxw.png