Alan Goodwin "Dex" Poindexter (November 5, 1961 – July 1, 2012) was an American naval officer and a NASA astronaut.

His recreational interests included motorcycling, running, weight lifting, water skiing, boating, hunting and fishing.

After a short period of service at the Hypervelocity Wind Tunnel Facility, Naval Surface Weapons Center, White Oak, Maryland, Poindexter reported for flight training in Pensacola, Florida.

Following his initial training, Poindexter was assigned to Fighter Squadron 211 (VF-211), also at Miramar, and made two deployments to the Persian Gulf, including Operation Southern Watch.

Following his tour at Patuxent River, Poindexter reported to Fighter Squadron 32 (VF-32) at Naval Air Station Oceana, Virginia, where he was serving as a department head when he was selected for astronaut training.

Following his retirement from the NASA Astronaut Corps in 2010, Poindexter returned to serve in the U.S. Navy as dean of students and executive director of programs at the Naval Postgraduate School.

It took three spacewalks by crewmembers to prepare the Columbus Laboratory for its scientific work, and to replace an expended nitrogen tank on the Station's P-1 Truss.

Upon arrival at the station, Discovery's crew performed three spacewalks to replace an empty ammonia tank for the ISS Thermal Control System.

The STS-131 mission lasted 15 days, 02 hours, 47 minutes, 10 seconds, and traveled 6,232,235 statute miles in 238 Earth orbits.

[3] On July 1, 2012, Poindexter died due to injuries he received from a water scooter accident in Little Sabine Bay in Pensacola Beach, Florida.