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You know, that looks scary to be in the capsule for, but far less scary than the Saturn V's Apollo Pad Abort Test, where the rocket was ON TOP of the capsule: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Launch_escape_system#/media/Fi...

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It might seem a little sketchy but it worked well. When they flew it on a small rocket to test it, the rocket accidentally broke apart but the escape tower system then performed perfectly: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AqeJzItldSQ

Whether you are being pushed or pulled by a rocket doesn't really matter. From the inside would feel very similar.

It'd presumably feel a bit warmer for the case where you're underneath the rocket.

Probably no significant impact, and probably no significant difference between the two. It's angled so it largely doesn't touch the capsule (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Apollo_Pad_Abort_Tes...) and the capsule is made to keep the occupants safe through reentry, which reaches higher temperatures and lasts much longer than the second or two the pad abort rockets fire.

(It might even be less heat impact to the capsule than the Dragon-style rockets, as the hot spent rocket remains on the capsule; Apollo-style abort towers jettison.)

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