The closeout crew helps STS-122 Pilot Alan Poindexter before entering space shuttle Atlantis.

In the White Room on Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, the closeout crew helps STS-122 Pilot Alan Poindexter with his launch and entry suit before entering space shuttle Atlantis for liftoff at 2:45 p.m. EST. Poindexter is making his first shuttle flight. In the background is Mission Specialist Leopold Eyharts about to go through the hatch into Atlantis. The launch will be the third attempt for Atlantis since December 2007 to carry the European Space Agency's Columbus laboratory to the International Space Station. During the 11-day mission, the crew's prime objective is to attach the laboratory to the Harmony module, adding to the station's size and capabilities. Photo credit: NASA/Scott Haun, Rick Prickett