Attaching rover to ship and one other question

[JackBush]

I'm having trouble figuring out how to attach (properly) my rover to the rocket. I managed to land on Mun after many tries only to discover that the decoupler on top did nothing but go "poof". The rover didn't separate. I had put the decoupler on the rover so that doesn't seem to work. But I can't see how to attach a decoupler to the top of the command pod either. Any help on these things would be greatly appreciated because I've spent days on this.

Another: is it possible to have two saves (not subassemblies) in the VAB at once and join them up?

[Plusck]

If your decoupler went *poof* then it separated. Since your vessel was probably built from the command pod, the pod is the "root" item and when you disconnect, it is what you control. You need to switch vessels (square bracket right or left) to control the part that you discarded.

(edit: if it really failed to separate, then perhaps during the build you clipped it into another part (happens all the time) or you missed the connection node and connected it to the part lying under the decoupler (this can also happen)).

 

For the VAB, it's a bit tricky. Yes you can build a rover, for example, and save it then start building your main rocket as a new item. Then click "load" and select your pre-saved rover but click "merge" instead. The rover will appear as a floating, unconnected part, and you can add it to your main rocket.

The problem is that the nodes for connecting this "merged" entity are much more restrictive than if you simply had an ordinary part floating around your build. You really need to experiment to see what will or will not work.

Edited December 20, 2015 by Plusck

[JackBush]

That's great, thanks! I missed the "merge" option. Where does that appear?