Before the astronauts leave for the Artemis mission, there is a group of specialists, called the “Closeout Crew” who help them enter the Orion capsule and seal it.
Getting into a car is a simple and automatic gesture, while for those headed towards the Moon, taking a seat on board a spacecraft requires complex, precise and highly specialized choreography. This is where the “Artemis closure crew” comes in, a key but little-visible team in NASA’s lunar program.
Trained to support Artemis II – the first crewed flight of the Artemis campaign, scheduled between February and April 2026 (there is talk of February 6 as the first launch window) – and the subsequent lunar missions, the five members of this team will be the last people to see the astronauts before liftoff. NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover and Christina Koch will board the Orion capsule, together with Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen of the Canadian Space Agency.
The crew. The Artemis II closure team consists of Taylor Hose, operations manager; by astronaut Andre Douglas, in charge of direct support to the crew; by Bill Owens, technician specializing in spacesuits for the Orion survival system; and two Orion technicians, Christian Warriner and Ricky Ebaugh.
Their job is to ensure each astronaut is properly secured, connected to vital systems and ready to launch, before sealing the spacecraft. “We are responsible for securing the astronauts to their spacecraft, connecting all the spacesuit interfaces and then closing the hatch, preparing Orion for launch,” explains Taylor Hose. A job that he himself compares to that of a pit crew in Formula 1, where every second and every gesture counts.
The last moments. On launch day, at Launch Complex 39B at Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the lockout crew will be operational well before the astronauts arrive. After helping them put on their helmet and gloves, the team assists them in entering the Orion capsule. Once inside, Owens and Douglas help each astronaut secure themselves to their seats: not just a simple belt like in a car, but five safety straps, plus a series of connections to life support, environmental control and onboard communications systems.
When the crew is finally settled in, one of the most delicate phases begins: closing the hatch. Unlike a regular door, Orion’s door is pneumatically operated and requires connecting air lines and coordinating with ground support systems. The entire procedure – from astronaut entry to final closure – can take around four hours and also includes the external hatch of the launch abort system.
Attention to detail. Even a lock of hair could compromise the correct sealing of the seals. «There is a lot of work on the seals: they must be cleaned, lubricated, inspected. Only then can we close the hatch of the crew module,” says Hose.
Once the closure is complete, the team removes window shields, installs thermal protection panels and dismantles the purge barriers that protect the capsule during launch and ascent. Once the last section of the launch abort system is also closed, the closure crew leaves the ramp, while remaining nearby to intervene if necessary. “My goal in life was to become an astronaut,” Hose confides. “Helping put humans back on the Moon for the first time since 1972 – not just to go there, but to stay – is huge. It is the first step towards Mars and towards the expansion of humanity into the solar system.”
After launch. Once the mission begins, some team members will move to San Diego to support post-landing operations once the mission is concluded. Inserted in what NASA defines as a new golden age of space exploration, Artemis II represents a crucial step: the first manned flight of the Artemis campaign and a fundamental step towards the stable return of man to the Moon and, in perspective, towards the first human missions to Mars.
