Hi Rusty, yes it's possible to make the side pane palettes all separated, see here for a startup script you can install that will do that:
http://moi3d.com/forum/index.php?webtag=MOI&msg=9439.3

You can also set the scene browser to be located inside the command palette side pane instead of in a separate pane. To do that set Options > General > "Scene browser position" = Inside.

- Michael