." Coming from my earliest childhood years, trip had actually consistently captivated me. I lived out in the boonies and the fields, so I didn't possess neighbors to go as well as enjoy with. If I wasn't functioning, I was delegated my very own devices, and also frequently, I would merely be actually captivated by the animals and also specifically, the beast of preys that I would observe." To me, they represented a flexibility of some kind or an additional. These birds and the viewpoint they possess-- they may absorb a great deal. Therefore, from that factor on, I understood I desired to be associated with air travel as well as aviation." I [taken pleasure in] all points flight, all factors spaceflight. I couldn't receive sufficient of it. I came to be an avid audience, whereas in the past, I wasn't much of a reader. I couldn't get adequate component to review my heroes from trip and space. They became my role models and the path that they took entailed, at some point or even one more, a fairly thorough learning and devotion to accomplish properly academically, physically, or athletically. Thus, I threw on my own right into that entire type of mindset." When I was actually working for the Air Force, I had the ability to fly and also deal with plane that I would certainly fantasize approximately, considering in the magazines Flying Full week and also Area Innovation. Listed here they are actually, correct in front of me." ... So, my profession has actually been as close as feasible to that of a tour exam engineer. And then, directly on the heels of being spellbinded by climatic air travel, operating in human spaceflight has put me over the Moon.".-- Physician Donald Mendoza, Principal Engineer, NASA Design & Safety Facility, NASA's Ames .Graphic Credit: NASA/Dominic HartInterviewer: NASA/Thalia Patrinos.Browse through a number of our other Faces of NASA.