I’ve been skimming the Spring 2011 AIR & SPACE COLLECTOR’S EDITION: SPACE SHUTTLE 1981-2011 magazine. What I’ve found most interesting so far has been astronaut Andy Allen’s brief description of what the space shuttle orbiter’s reaction control jets are like to someone inside the orbiter. From page 69 of the magazine…

“…I did some pretty aggressive maneuvering using the reaction control jets, which, when you fire them, sound like cannons going off. It vibrates the whole vehicle, and it’s a very loud boom.”