." From my earliest childhood, flight had actually regularly mesmerized me. I endured in the boonies and the fields, so I failed to have next-door neighbors to go and play with. If I had not been functioning, I was actually delegated my very own units, as well as typically, I will merely be actually spellbinded by the wild animals and also in particular, the birds of prey that I would certainly find." To me, they exemplified a flexibility of some kind or another. These birds and the view they have-- they may take in a great deal. So, from that aspect on, I recognized I desired to be actually involved in tour and also aviation." I [enjoyed] all points trip, all things spaceflight. I couldn't receive sufficient of it. I came to be a serious reader, whereas previously, I wasn't much of a viewers. I couldn't obtain adequate material to check out my heroes from trip as well as space. They became my good example and the path that they took included, at some point or one more, a quite thorough education and devotion to doing properly academically, physically, or even athletically. Thus, I threw myself in to that whole entire form of perspective." When I was actually working with the Flying force, I was able to soar as well as deal with airplane that I would certainly dream approximately, considering in the journals Flying Week as well as Space Technology. Right here they are, correct facing me." ... Therefore, my occupation has been as close as possible to that of a trip examination engineer. And after that, right on the heels of being spellbinded by atmospheric trip, functioning in human spaceflight has actually placed me over the Moon.".-- Doctor Donald Mendoza, Principal Engineer, NASA Design & Protection Center, NASA's Ames Proving ground.Photo Credit History: NASA/Dominic HartInterviewer: NASA/Thalia Patrinos.Look into a few of our other Faces of NASA.