." From my earliest youth, air travel had consistently captivated me. I lived out in the boonies as well as the fields, so I didn't have neighbors to go as well as play with. If I had not been working, I was actually delegated to my own gadgets, as well as usually, I would just be mesmerized due to the creatures as well as particularly, the raptorial birds that I would observe." To me, they stood for a freedom of some kind or even yet another. These birds and the scenery they possess-- they can enjoy a lot. So, from that factor on, I knew I desired to be actually involved in flight and also aviation." I [enjoyed] all things trip, all traits spaceflight. I couldn't obtain enough of it. I came to be a passionate viewers, whereas in the past, I wasn't a lot of a viewers. I could not receive sufficient material to check out my heroes coming from air travel and also area. They became my role models as well as the road that they took entailed, at some time or even an additional, a fairly thorough education and also dedication to carry out effectively academically, actually, or athletically. Thus, I threw myself right into that whole entire kind of mentality." When I was actually benefiting the Air Force, I managed to fly and also work with plane that I would certainly dream around, looking at in the magazines Air travel Week and Area Innovation. Below they are actually, appropriate facing me." ... So, my job has been as close as feasible to that of a trip examination developer. And afterwards, precisely the heels of being actually mesmerized by atmospherical trip, functioning in human spaceflight has actually put me over the Moon.".-- Doctor Donald Mendoza, Main Developer, NASA Engineering & Safety Center, NASA's Ames .Image Credit Score: NASA/Dominic HartInterviewer: NASA/Thalia Patrinos.Look into a number of our other Faces of NASA.