"Closeout crew is not special
there's thousands of people out here that have thousands of jobs.
You know, and each one's equally important.
The only unique thing about us is we have the last hands
on job before the bird flies."
The Closeout Crew is the last to shake the gloved hands
of space shuttle astronauts before they rocket into orbit from
NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
"We close the vehicle out for flight, which means we take out anything
that doesn't fly.
We put in what needs to fly.
We put the astronauts in, strap them in, and we close the hatch for flight."
The team is made up of NASA and United Space Alliance workers
from Kennedy and the Johnson Space Center in Houston.
The Orbiter Closeout Crew Chief coordinates launch-day activities
and communicates with the Firing Room via radio.
He goes by the call sign "OVCC."
Two technicians are experts at the shuttle crew module's side hatch,
and two insertion technicians specialize in helping the astronauts strap
into their seats.
An additional astronaut joins the Closeout Crew as the prime
astronaut support person -- with the call sign "ASP."
A NASA Quality representative rounds out the team.
"Three tenths and three tens".
Twenty people are certified to work with the Closeout Crew
but only a few serve at a time.
"So on launch day we all come together to make one team.
That's only seven people out of 20 that would support a launch,
come up here as a prime team."
It all happens at the 195-foot level of the shuttle launch pad,
where the orbiter access arm leads to the climate-controlled White Room.
The Closeout Crew reports to the launch pad shortly after
the shuttle's external fuel tank is filled with propellant several hours before launch.
The team sets up its own rescue gear and takes care
of some pre-boarding housekeeping duties.
Then the astronauts arrive -- and suddenly,
the White Room gets a lot more crowded.
"Once the crew gets here, naturally, I can't put all six or seven in the ship at one time.
The countdown allows 50 minutes to get everyone strapped in,
with their gloves and helmets on.
The astronauts need help putting on their parachute harness
and communication gear before climbing aboard.
After a round of communication checks, anything not needed
for flight has to come out -- including the Closeout Crew.
"Alright we got a go to close the hatch".
"So we go to close the hatch, pressurize the cabin, do some last-minute things.
Takes us roughly an hour after we close the hatch to get out of here."
But before they go, the White Room must be partially taken apart so it can swing back
into position beside the shuttle if there's an emergency
even if the astronauts have already opened the hatch.
"You can see these billows behind me.
We deflate those. And this White Room has hinges, and so we would swing one door out,
swing this piece -- comes this way.
So there's a big, gaping hole right there."
When everything is cleaned up and strapped down,
it's time for the Closeout Crew to leave the astronauts alone at the launch pad.
They've got it down to a science -- but with so many tasks involving
so many pieces of shuttle and ground hardware,
things don't always go according to plan.
From burned-out light bulbs on cockpit switches to problems with the hatch,
the Closeout Crew has seen it all -- and had to fix it fast.
So they bring two boxes of tools to the White Room,
with even more in their truck down by the elevator.
"You know, you can't always think of everything,
but these guys are very good at improvising."
When the shuttle is fully loaded and ready to fly,
everyone in or near the vehicle is working in a hazardous area.
The Closeout Crew and the astronauts practice escaping the launch pad,
in case there's ever an emergency.
Everyone has to learn how to move from the White Room
to the slidewire baskets that would whisk them away from the pad,
down to a nearby bunker.
In an emergency, a series of overhead sprinklers -- called the Firex system
would activate, and lights would come on, showing everyone
on the 195-foot level the way out.
"So we have this painted yellow with black chevrons.
We call it the Yellow Brick Road. And that's because you basically can't see anything
but your feet.
So you follow the chevrons out to your primary egress route to the slidewire baskets."
One of the benefits to being part of the Closeout Crew is working closely
with the astronauts.
"It's a unique gift, I think, that we get to know them personally.
We get to shake their hand right before they go in.
Some of the astronauts on the Closeout Crew actually fly.
So you know, one time supporting a mission they'll be wearing a white uniform with us,
and the next time they'll be wearing an orange uniform, getting ready to fly themselves."
As the program draws to a close, many space shuttle team members are making the most
of the final flights.
And of course, that includes the Closeout Crew.
"I'll probably just stand over there in the corner and soak it in,
and try and remember as much as I can, and hope that another program comes along
and I get to do this again."