The Suborbital Experience

Alan Boyle has an interesting “compare and contrast” of the current planned providers:

The feedback from would-be fliers has been that “the overall nature of the experience is primarily about the view, and feeling the forces,” Lauer said. Thus, both companies are trying to optimize the view of a curving Earth, spread out beneath the black sky of space. But they’re doing it using different methods.

SpaceShipTwo will offer as many portholes as it can, placed strategically around the side walls of the passenger cabin. Rocketplane, in contrast, plans to make the most of the forward view. “The best views are really out the front window, just as they are with any airplane. … When you’re in the back seats, it’s surprising how much of the forward view you do get,” Lauer said.

Back-seat passengers will each get two of their own windows as well, currently planned for placement at shoulder height and above their heads, he said.

The SpaceShipTwo concept gives you dials to watch, showing G-forces, altitude and other statistics, plus a larger cabin display. Rocketplane promises to provide a customizable video display for each passenger. And both spacecraft will be fairly bristling with video cameras to record the highlights of your out-of-this-world flight.