." From my earliest childhood years, air travel had constantly captivated me. I lived out in the boonies and also the fields, so I failed to have next-door neighbors to go as well as have fun with. If I wasn't operating, I was entrusted to my very own tools, and often, I would certainly simply be actually astounded due to the animals and also in particular, the beast of preys that I would observe." To me, they exemplified a liberty of some kind or an additional. These birds and also the view they possess-- they may absorb a great deal. Therefore, from that factor on, I recognized I desired to be actually involved in air travel and also air travel." I [appreciated] all things tour, all things spaceflight. I could not acquire sufficient of it. I became an avid viewers, whereas previously, I had not been a lot of a reader. I could not obtain sufficient material to read about my heroes from air travel as well as area. They became my shining example as well as the path that they took entailed, eventually or even another, a quite rigorous education and learning and also commitment to perform effectively academically, physically, or even athletically. Thus, I threw myself right into that whole sort of attitude." When I was actually working for the Aviation service, I was able to soar and also deal with airplane that I would certainly hope around, considering in the magazines Air travel Week as well as Space Innovation. Listed below they are, right facing me." ... So, my job has been as close as possible to that of a flight examination engineer. And afterwards, directly on the heels of being astounded through climatic trip, operating in human spaceflight has placed me over the Moon.".-- Physician Donald Mendoza, Chief Engineer, NASA Design & Safety And Security Facility, NASA's Ames .Image Credit Report: NASA/Dominic HartInterviewer: NASA/Thalia Patrinos.Browse through several of our other Images of NASA.