Why do you think 80% of the value is in the Zero-G time? You could similarly argue that 80% of the Zero-G experience can be had by indoors skydiving at 2% of that flight's cost.
People who jump out of planes will also experience 1G due to air resistance when they reach terminal velocity. That's why it's called indoor skydiving instead of indoor spacewalking.
Well yeah, I didn't say that it was exactly like it. It does give you the ability to float and even do tricks in the (moving) air and experience Newton's laws almost like in Zero-G, though.
I think that indoor skydiving is closer to the Zero-G flight than the Zero-G flight is to the Virgin Galactic's space trip on a rocket launching from a plane, getting to Mach 2.9, getting an out-of-this-world view, and gliding to the landing. Do you disagree?
Your comment about the 80% of the value came out as dismissive of Virgin Galactic's achievement. This is a company that is trying to come back after a deadly crash that could've stopped further work and to initiate space tourism. I get the usual HN contrarian skepticism, as I've participated in it also, but to see this comparison as one of the top comments here is disappointing.
That may well be. Having not gone into space I can't speak authoritatively on that. However, I can say this: seeing the view from space is a visual experience. Visual experiences can be simulated, e.g. with VR, or high-def video. A simulated visual experience is very similar to the real thing.
Free fall is different. Yes, you can get brief periods of free fall on, say, a roller coaster, or by jumping off a high dive. I have done all of these things, so I can tell you authoritatively that being in free fall for 30 seconds, not strapped in, and with no wind rushing past you, is completely different than being in free fall for a third of a second (high dive) or even three seconds (roller coaster). YMMV, of course, but for me that feeling of floating is a big draw of going into space. I'm sure the view is very nice too, but I've seen it.
I'd say that 80% of the value lies in getting to see Earth against the black backdrop of space. As the pilot in today's flight said, "million dollar view".
