." From my earliest youth, air travel had actually always spellbinded me. I endured in the boonies as well as the fields, so I failed to possess neighbors to go and have fun with. If I had not been working, I was delegated my personal units, as well as frequently, I will simply be actually mesmerized by the creatures and also particularly, the predators that I would certainly see." To me, they stood for a liberty of some kind or even yet another. These birds and also the view they have-- they can easily absorb a lot. Therefore, from that point on, I understood I wished to be actually associated with flight and aeronautics." I [enjoyed] all traits air travel, all points spaceflight. I could not acquire sufficient of it. I ended up being an enthusiastic visitor, whereas in the past, I wasn't a lot of a viewers. I could not obtain adequate component to read about my heroes from trip and room. They became my good example and the path that they took involved, eventually or one more, a fairly rigorous learning and also commitment to doing properly academically, physically, or even athletically. Thus, I threw myself right into that whole entire sort of frame of mind." When I was actually working for the Flying force, I managed to soar as well as service plane that I will hope approximately, considering in the journals Air travel Week and also Room Modern Technology. Right here they are actually, correct facing me." ... Thus, my career has been as close as achievable to that of a flight examination developer. And then, directly on the heels of being astounded by climatic air travel, operating in human spaceflight has actually put me over the Moon.".-- Physician Donald Mendoza, Main Designer, NASA Design & Protection Center, NASA's Ames Research Center.Image Credit: NASA/Dominic HartInterviewer: NASA/Thalia Patrinos.Have a look at several of our other Faces of NASA.