." Coming from my earliest youth, tour had always mesmerized me. I endured in the boonies and the farmlands, so I didn't possess neighbors to go and also play with. If I wasn't operating, I was left to my very own devices, and also frequently, I will simply be actually mesmerized by the animals as well as in particular, the predators that I would find." To me, they embodied an independence of some kind or an additional. These birds and the viewpoint they have-- they can absorb a great deal. Therefore, coming from that point on, I recognized I desired to be associated with tour and also air travel." I [appreciated] all points flight, all things spaceflight. I couldn't obtain sufficient of it. I came to be a passionate viewers, whereas before, I wasn't much of an audience. I could not get sufficient component to check out my heroes from tour as well as area. They became my role models and also the course that they took involved, at some point or another, a rather thorough education and also commitment to doing effectively academically, actually, or athletically. Therefore, I threw myself right into that whole kind of frame of mind." When I was working with the Aviation service, I had the ability to fly as well as work on airplane that I would dream approximately, checking out in the magazines Aeronautics Full week and also Area Modern Technology. Listed here they are actually, right in front of me." ... So, my profession has been actually as close as feasible to that of an air travel exam designer. And afterwards, exactly on the heels of being actually mesmerized through atmospheric flight, operating in human spaceflight has placed me over the Moon.".-- Dr. Donald Mendoza, Chief Engineer, NASA Design & Protection Center, NASA's Ames Research Center.Picture Debt: NASA/Dominic HartInterviewer: NASA/Thalia Patrinos.Look into a few of our various other Faces of NASA.