." From my earliest childhood, trip had always astounded me. I survived in the boonies and also the farmlands, so I really did not possess neighbors to go and also play with. If I had not been operating, I was actually delegated my very own units, as well as often, I would merely be astounded due to the creatures and particularly, the raptors that I would observe." To me, they worked with a liberty of some kind or even one more. These birds and the sight they possess-- they can take in a lot. Therefore, from that point on, I understood I intended to be actually involved in trip and flying." I [enjoyed] all things tour, all traits spaceflight. I could not receive sufficient of it. I ended up being an experienced reader, whereas in the past, I had not been much of a visitor. I could not get adequate product to check out my heroes coming from trip as well as space. They became my role models and the course that they took entailed, at some time or yet another, a rather strenuous education and learning and devotion to doing effectively academically, actually, or athletically. Thus, I tossed on my own in to that whole kind of mindset." When I was benefiting the Air Force, I was able to soar and also work with aircraft that I would dream approximately, taking a look at in the publications Flying Full week and Room Modern Technology. Right here they are actually, appropriate facing me." ... Thus, my profession has actually been actually as close as feasible to that of a trip exam engineer. And after that, right on the heels of being actually astounded through atmospheric trip, functioning in individual spaceflight has actually set me over the Moon.".-- Dr. Donald Mendoza, Main Designer, NASA Engineering & Protection Center, NASA's Ames Research Center.Photo Credit: NASA/Dominic HartInterviewer: NASA/Thalia Patrinos.Look at a number of our other Faces of NASA.