." Coming from my earliest childhood, air travel had actually always spellbinded me. I endured in the boonies as well as the farmlands, so I really did not have next-door neighbors to go as well as enjoy with. If I had not been functioning, I was actually delegated to my own devices, and usually, I would certainly just be actually astounded due to the creatures and also especially, the birds of prey that I would certainly see." To me, they stood for a liberty of some kind or even an additional. These birds and also the sight they have-- they can take in a great deal. So, from that factor on, I understood I intended to be involved in air travel as well as aviation." I [appreciated] all points air travel, all factors spaceflight. I couldn't receive enough of it. I became a passionate visitor, whereas before, I wasn't much of a reader. I could not get sufficient product to review my heroes from trip as well as area. They became my good example and also the course that they took entailed, at some time or even one more, a quite thorough education and dedication to accomplish properly academically, actually, or athletically. Therefore, I tossed on my own right into that whole kind of mindset." When I was actually working with the Flying force, I was able to fly and service plane that I would certainly dream around, considering in the publications Aeronautics Full week and Space Modern Technology. Listed here they are, ideal facing me." ... Thus, my job has actually been as close as possible to that of a flight test engineer. And after that, directly on the heels of being mesmerized by climatic flight, working in individual spaceflight has actually put me over the Moon.".-- Dr. Donald Mendoza, Chief Developer, NASA Design & Protection Facility, NASA's Ames Proving ground.Picture Credit History: NASA/Dominic HartInterviewer: NASA/Thalia Patrinos.Look into a few of our various other Images of NASA.