." From my earliest childhood, tour had actually consistently astounded me. I lived out in the boonies and the farmlands, so I failed to possess neighbors to go and enjoy with. If I had not been working, I was delegated my personal gadgets, and also frequently, I would certainly simply be actually astounded by the creatures as well as especially, the predators that I would certainly see." To me, they stood for a flexibility of some kind or yet another. These birds and the perspective they have-- they can easily consume a great deal. So, from that factor on, I knew I wished to be involved in flight and also aeronautics." I [enjoyed] all points tour, all points spaceflight. I couldn't receive sufficient of it. I became a devoted visitor, whereas before, I wasn't much of a viewers. I couldn't obtain enough component to review my heroes coming from air travel as well as room. They became my role models and the road that they took entailed, at some point or even another, a fairly extensive education and also devotion to accomplish well academically, actually, or athletically. So, I tossed on my own into that entire type of state of mind." When I was benefiting the Air Force, I had the capacity to soar and focus on plane that I will fantasize about, checking out in the magazines Air travel Full week and Area Modern Technology. Here they are, correct in front of me." ... Thus, my occupation has actually been as close as possible to that of an air travel examination designer. And then, exactly on the heels of being mesmerized by atmospherical air travel, doing work in human spaceflight has put me over the Moon.".-- Physician Donald Mendoza, Main Engineer, NASA Engineering & Security Center, NASA's Ames Proving ground.Image Credit Scores: NASA/Dominic HartInterviewer: NASA/Thalia Patrinos.Check out some of our various other Images of NASA.