My best description is that the orange side is intense. You experience the sensation of being launched and pressed back into your seat, and then the feeling of weightlessness as you clear earth's gravity. And then there the landing on Mars. The cabin that you're in is part of a large pod that hangs from a long arm attached to a spoke, and there are other pods on other arms. When the orange side of the ride starts, the pods are swung by the arms in a wide circle. You don't feel any actual spinning motion, but it does serve to cause the pressure that pushes you back into your seat as you're "launched." The pod will lean backward or forward in keeping with whatever is happening. I've done it and I survived, although I will admit that I was a little shaky afterwards. A fair number of people find that lends itself to motion sickness, especially if you're already prone to that. The best tips for riding it the first time are to do it on an empty stomach and always keep your eyes open and focused straight ahead. If you close your eyes, you have no external reference point for what your body is feeling, and it can actually make things worse. There is a constant gentle stream of cool air blowing in your face, which also helps. Kids do tend to think it's no big deal, but anyone over 40 might not share that opinion. I do prefer the green side - it's the same ride but the pod doesn't swing around in the circle to create pressure - it just moves backward or forward a little.