Welcome to the Pilots Federation Commander, we hope you enjoy the show as much as many of us still do.
Escape pod, that's automatic, Verity(that's the name of the woman who voices your computer, there's even a Voice Attack voice pack featuring her now, google Voice Attack, you may love it), simply warns you that you ARE about to be ejected. All ships come equipped with automatic hyperspace escape pods that warp you back to the last base you docked at. The previous versions of the escape pod mechanism(previous Elite games), ejection was a manual process and it was realized that many commanders were being lost due to being too injured to key in the eject sequence, so now your ship's computer has full control and will save you even if you are knocked out or otherwise incapacitated. Isn't modern technology wonderful!
Sunshades, well, yeah, there's been a few hundred times I wish I had one, that's for damn sure. Nothing like coming out of hyperspace next to a blue/white smack in the face, however, your canopy DOES automatically filter the incoming light and radiation, so while it may be a little bright sometimes, it won't actually harm you nor impede your vision...or so this brochure here says...
Tutorials are included for ship operations and combat, but that's it Commander. There is information on trading, mining and exploration here on the forums, most of it learned by doing, as there is a tradition in the Elite games of letting the player figure it all out on their own, and I know it can be...frustrating...at times, but the forums here are full of answers, if you can't find one, just ask, we're a cantankerous bunch at times, but we DO always help people who ask.
Horizons should be starting it's beta today, so we'll get some good intel on what's coming with planetary landings and all the other goodies in it before the day is out. Some of the things you suggested, such as first person action, is on the blue print for the game, we think maybe next Season(end of 2016 possibly) but we aren't certain. We DO know that FD has a 10 year plan, and the second year is just about to get started with Horizons, so there's an awful lot of things coming in the future.
Quick bit of helpful, I hope, information. Trading is by far the most profitable of the professions, Exploration the least profitable(but my personal favorite), with Bounty Hunter/Merc and Pirate being somewhere inbetween. I've tried my hand at all of them, Bounty Hunter is fun, if you like lots of combat and don't mind getting your ass handed to you on occasion if you go after Players. Pirating is an iffy thing, if you play in Solo, the risk is low but so is the profit, if you play in Open, the risk CAN be high and so can the profit. Trading is...well...it's trading. Buy high, sell low...erm, strike that, reverse it! There's some 3rd party tools you can get to help with logistics if you are really into trading, nothing ingame however. Solo is the 2nd safest mode to trade in, the pirates will only be NPCs and they are generally easy to avoid. Group mode, if you find some friends, is the safest mode to trade in, with friends in a Wing, NPC pirates are not an issue at all, and you'll not encounter Player pirates in Group. Open mode is the most dangerous mode, for anything, as you'll run across other Players who are out to do you harm simply because you are there. Some will want some of your cargo, others will simply want your life regardless of any bounty you may or may not have. It's dangerous in Open, but it can also be a lot more fun as you have the chance for actual interaction with other players, good, bad or indifferent.
F10 takes screenshots by default, in Solo mode ONLY you can hit Alt-F10 and get 4k hi res screenshots. I already mentioned Voice Attack, many swear by it, give it a gander, very helpful and entertaining tool.
