." From my earliest youth, trip had always captivated me. I endured in the boonies and also the fields, so I didn't have next-door neighbors to go as well as play with. If I had not been functioning, I was actually delegated to my own units, and frequently, I would certainly just be actually astounded by the wild animals as well as especially, the raptors that I would observe." To me, they exemplified an independence of some kind or one more. These birds and the scenery they have-- they can absorb so much. So, coming from that point on, I knew I wished to be actually involved in trip and air travel." I [taken pleasure in] all points tour, all factors spaceflight. I could not get sufficient of it. I came to be an experienced reader, whereas in the past, I had not been a lot of a viewers. I couldn't get enough material to review my heroes coming from air travel as well as area. They became my shining example and the path that they took included, at some point or one more, a pretty rigorous learning and devotion to doing properly academically, physically, or athletically. Therefore, I threw myself in to that entire sort of mindset." When I was helping the Flying force, I had the capacity to fly and also service plane that I would certainly hope around, considering in the publications Air travel Full week and also Space Technology. Listed here they are, correct before me." ... Therefore, my career has been actually as close as feasible to that of a tour examination engineer. And after that, right on the heels of being actually astounded by atmospherical trip, working in individual spaceflight has placed me over the Moon.".-- Doctor Donald Mendoza, Principal Developer, NASA Engineering & Protection Facility, NASA's Ames Proving ground.Graphic Credit Score: NASA/Dominic HartInterviewer: NASA/Thalia Patrinos.Visit some of our other Faces of NASA.