Rocket building problem

[Scarredclown]

I'm trying to build a rocket to launch my first kerbal into orbit. My problem is that when i stage off my two big "thumper solid fuel boster" with my radial decoupler, they stay close and broke the liquid fuel engine on my main rocket. I try to put two radial decoupler on the booster but they dont seem to attach correctly and they stay on when staging off.

1- how to put two radial decoupler in line that attach correctly ?

2- how to rotate a ship correctly in the hangar so that it is facing the 90 degree (for the orbit)

Edited August 23, 2015 by Scarredclown

[ForScience6686]

1) use angle snap and radial symmetry. Make sure you are flying at prograde when staging them.

2) shift click the ship to select all, or select pod, q and e to rotate I believe.

[Motokid600]

The rotation if the craft in the vab usually doesn't matter. Just make sure you pitch into your intended heading. Regular orientation usually has the D key pitch you over to a 90 degree heading.

With the radial decouplers you need symmetry and angle snap so they place evenly. It's been awhile since I've been on Windows. The X key is for symmetry. Then enable angle snap with C when placing the decpuplers onto your center tank and the SRBs onto the decouplers.

As for pushing them away so they don't collide use the sepetron part. Move there staging action into the same group as your decouplers, place them appropriately and when you stage they will push the depleted booster away.

Edited August 23, 2015 by Motokid600

[Scarredclown]

Rotating the ship is not a problem, its more how to align it so that it will be ok with my nav ball...

Sorry English is not easy for me...

[Red Iron Crown]

1. Generally speaking it is difficult to make a part attach to another in two places. If you absolutely must do so, attach it to the first decoupler in the usual way, then run a strut between the attached booster and the second decoupler.

2. Grab the root part (the part you placed first when building the craft), press Q or E until it reaches the desired orientation, place it.

[Streetwind]

One press of q rotates the ship to point eastward.

In regards to 1.), make sure that when you are staging radial elements, those elements are to the left and right of your rocket, and not front and back with respect to your turn direction. If you are not fully prograde, your rocket will have sideslip (forwards if you are steeper than your vector, backwards if you are shallower). This sideslip will cause your rocket to drift into the item you just staged. It's not the radial booster that's ramming you - it's you ramming the booster!

[Scarecrow88]

Use sepratrons on the boosters to force them away from your craft, set to fire in the same stage as your decoupler.

[ForScience6686]

Instead of sepratrons I use the smallest fins angled just enough to pull the top away from your ship. Works great unless you are moving too fast through the atmosphere.

[Kelderek]

If this is his first attempt at orbit, then it is likely that sepratrons are not yet available.

The big open door of the VAB represents East, the direction you want to launch toward. If you place a command pod and don't rotate it in the VAB, then at launch you would just use the D key to pitch over to the East. If you place your two boosters on the North and South sides of your rocket, then as you pitch over in flight and separate the boosters, they will not be falling into the path of your ascent, but off to the side (they will fall north and south as you travel east).