." Coming from my earliest childhood years, flight had always captivated me. I endured in the boonies and also the fields, so I failed to possess neighbors to go and also enjoy with. If I wasn't working, I was actually delegated my personal gadgets, and also often, I will just be actually spellbinded due to the creatures and also especially, the birds of prey that I will observe." To me, they represented a freedom of some kind or even another. These birds and the sight they possess-- they can absorb a great deal. Therefore, from that aspect on, I understood I wanted to be actually involved in trip and air travel." I [taken pleasure in] all things flight, all traits spaceflight. I could not obtain good enough of it. I came to be a serious audience, whereas in the past, I wasn't a lot of a visitor. I couldn't acquire enough component to check out my heroes coming from air travel and space. They became my shining example and also the road that they took included, at some point or even one more, a pretty rigorous education and learning and also commitment to accomplish effectively academically, literally, or athletically. Therefore, I threw on my own into that whole sort of perspective." When I was working for the Air Force, I was able to fly as well as work with aircraft that I would certainly fantasize approximately, looking at in the publications Flying Full week as well as Room Modern Technology. Below they are, ideal facing me." ... Therefore, my profession has actually been as close as feasible to that of a trip test designer. And afterwards, precisely the heels of being spellbinded by atmospheric air travel, operating in individual spaceflight has put me over the Moon.".-- Dr. Donald Mendoza, Chief Developer, NASA Design & Safety Facility, NASA's Ames .Graphic Credit History: NASA/Dominic HartInterviewer: NASA/Thalia Patrinos.Visit a number of our various other Images of NASA.