Noob alert

[Scarecrow88]

What's the difference between a decoupler and a stack separator?

[CoriW]

What's the difference between a decoupler and a stack separator?

A decoupler stays attached to one of the stages, stack separator decouples from both stages. However keep in mind it'll leave the stack separator floating around in space as debris.

[Scarecrow88]

Ok. Thanks for that. Not obvious looking at the descriptions of both in the VAB.

[CoriW]

Ok. Thanks for that. Not obvious looking at the descriptions of both in the VAB.

No problem, yeah some of the descriptions in the VAB are more kerbal than they are helpful. xD

[Actzoltan]

A decoupler doesn't explode instead it detaches from the stack its arrow is pointing.

A separator explodes destroying itself and possibly the stack its attached to but not often at all.

[AviatOrme]

^ You what?

Christ, which stack separators have you been using?

[Actzoltan]

I have managed to get separators to blow up my small probe which is why i say they can destroy your parts but it hardly ever happens. stock ones. but they also explode as in they destroy themselves.

[SecondGuessing]

A decoupler doesn't explode instead it detaches from the stack its arrow is pointing.

A separator explodes destroying itself and possibly the stack its attached to but not often at all.

I think you may be fitting you stack separators incorrectly.

There's basically no reason to use separators, they add more debris and, in the medium size, protrude more and so get in the way. I use the large ones sometimes on sub-orbital stages, just to reduce vertical height.

[zekes]

A decoupler doesn't explode instead it detaches from the stack its arrow is pointing.

A separator explodes destroying itself and possibly the stack its attached to but not often at all.

Ha i remember that... 8.2 was the good ol days....

[Giggleplex777]

Stack decouplers actually detach anything connected to it - radially or connected with nodes.

[SkyRender]

Stack separators are actually not that helpful since they become little pieces of space debris. Generally speaking, you're better off using one (or two!) docking ports to connect stages when you want to keep both pieces of your rocket intact and not marred by having an ugly decoupler stuck on one part. It has the added bonus of giving one (or both!) parts additional utility since they can then dock up to something else (or possibly back to one another).

[joppiesaus]

Why you don't try it out yourself? That's one of the fun parts of the game!(to me)

[AviatOrme]

I tend to use the separators for things like this Apollo style craft. It's stronger than a docking port, and still lets you keep both halves as usable entities.

In this case it's located between the engine of the CSM and the top of the lunar module.