." Coming from my earliest childhood years, trip had constantly captivated me. I survived in the boonies as well as the fields, so I really did not have next-door neighbors to go as well as have fun with. If I wasn't operating, I was entrusted to my own devices, and also frequently, I would just be mesmerized by the wild animals and also especially, the predators that I would observe." To me, they embodied a liberty of some kind or even yet another. These birds and also the perspective they possess-- they can easily consume a great deal. So, from that aspect on, I knew I wished to be actually involved in trip and aviation." I [taken pleasure in] all factors tour, all points spaceflight. I could not receive sufficient of it. I ended up being a devoted reader, whereas previously, I had not been a lot of an audience. I couldn't acquire enough product to read about my heroes coming from trip and space. They became my role models as well as the pathway that they took entailed, at some point or even one more, a quite extensive learning and also devotion to carry out effectively academically, physically, or even athletically. Thus, I tossed on my own in to that entire sort of frame of mind." When I was benefiting the Flying force, I had the ability to fly as well as work with aircraft that I would certainly dream about, checking out in the journals Flying Full week as well as Area Innovation. Listed here they are actually, appropriate before me." ... Thus, my career has been actually as close as achievable to that of a flight exam engineer. And then, exactly on the heels of being actually spellbinded by atmospheric flight, working in individual spaceflight has actually put me over the Moon.".-- Doctor Donald Mendoza, Chief Designer, NASA Engineering & Security Center, NASA's Ames Proving ground.Graphic Credit: NASA/Dominic HartInterviewer: NASA/Thalia Patrinos.Have a look at some of our other Faces of NASA.