." Coming from my earliest youth, flight had actually consistently spellbinded me. I lived out in the boonies and also the farmlands, so I didn't possess next-door neighbors to go and also have fun with. If I had not been working, I was entrusted to my own tools, and also often, I will only be actually spellbinded due to the creatures as well as particularly, the beast of preys that I will observe." To me, they worked with a freedom of some kind or even yet another. These birds and the viewpoint they possess-- they may enjoy a lot. Therefore, from that point on, I knew I wanted to be involved in air travel as well as aviation." I [delighted in] all factors flight, all points spaceflight. I couldn't acquire sufficient of it. I came to be a devoted audience, whereas before, I wasn't a lot of a reader. I couldn't get adequate material to review my heroes from tour as well as area. They became my good example and also the course that they took involved, eventually or another, a pretty strenuous learning as well as devotion to accomplish effectively academically, actually, or athletically. So, I threw on my own into that whole entire form of state of mind." When I was working with the Aviation service, I managed to fly and also deal with plane that I will fantasize approximately, checking out in the publications Air travel Week as well as Space Modern Technology. Below they are, correct facing me." ... Thus, my profession has been actually as close as possible to that of a trip examination developer. And then, precisely the heels of being captivated through atmospherical trip, doing work in individual spaceflight has actually set me over the Moon.".-- Physician Donald Mendoza, Principal Engineer, NASA Engineering & Protection Center, NASA's Ames .Graphic Credit History: NASA/Dominic HartInterviewer: NASA/Thalia Patrinos.Visit some of our other Faces of NASA.