File:KSC-05-S-00168

English: Rene Arriens is one of the last people the STS-114 crew will see before they launch on the Return to Flight mission. He's a spacecraft technician and operator for United Space Alliance at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. USA is NASA's primary contractor for processing Shuttle components, preparing them for flight. He's also one of seven people on the elite Shuttle Closeout Crew, which prepares the Space Shuttle's crew module for flight, and helps the astronauts climb aboard on launch day. 'Once the astronauts arrive on the pad, we proceed to put their parachutes on and the harnesses and go ahead and put them in, one on the flight deck and one on the mid-deck, in parallel. It usually takes about 35, 40 minutes to load a standard crew of seven.' It can be challenging, and the Closeout Crew has to be ready to deal with surprises. 'We're focused mostly around the crew and what they need, and we're very attentive. They may need glasses. I've had to braid hair to keep it