." Coming from my earliest childhood, air travel had actually constantly mesmerized me. I lived out in the boonies and the farmlands, so I really did not have next-door neighbors to go and play with. If I had not been functioning, I was actually left to my personal tools, as well as frequently, I will only be captivated due to the wild animals as well as especially, the raptorial birds that I will see." To me, they worked with an independence of some kind or even one more. These birds and also the scenery they have-- they can easily take in so much. Therefore, coming from that factor on, I recognized I wanted to be associated with flight as well as aeronautics." I [appreciated] all factors flight, all things spaceflight. I could not obtain good enough of it. I became an enthusiastic viewers, whereas before, I had not been much of a reader. I could not receive sufficient component to review my heroes from flight and also space. They became my shining example and also the pathway that they took included, at some point or an additional, a quite extensive learning and also dedication to perform effectively academically, physically, or even athletically. Thus, I threw on my own in to that entire form of attitude." When I was helping the Air Force, I had the capacity to soar and also focus on aircraft that I would hope about, looking at in the magazines Aeronautics Full week as well as Area Modern Technology. Listed below they are actually, correct before me." ... Thus, my job has been actually as close as achievable to that of an air travel examination engineer. And afterwards, exactly on the heels of being actually spellbinded by atmospherical air travel, working in individual spaceflight has put me over the Moon.".-- Dr. Donald Mendoza, Chief Developer, NASA Design & Safety Facility, NASA's Ames .Graphic Credit History: NASA/Dominic HartInterviewer: NASA/Thalia Patrinos.Look at several of our other Images of NASA.