." From my earliest childhood years, flight had actually constantly captivated me. I endured in the boonies and the farmlands, so I didn't possess next-door neighbors to go and also play with. If I wasn't working, I was delegated my personal units, and also usually, I will merely be actually mesmerized due to the wildlife as well as specifically, the predators that I would observe." To me, they worked with a flexibility of some kind or even another. These birds and the scenery they possess-- they may take in a great deal. So, from that factor on, I understood I desired to be associated with flight as well as aviation." I [taken pleasure in] all traits tour, all traits spaceflight. I couldn't get good enough of it. I came to be an avid visitor, whereas previously, I had not been much of a viewers. I could not acquire enough component to review my heroes from tour and also area. They became my shining example and the path that they took entailed, eventually or even an additional, a quite extensive education and learning and also devotion to perform well academically, literally, or even athletically. Thus, I tossed on my own right into that whole sort of state of mind." When I was benefiting the Flying force, I was able to soar and work on plane that I would fantasize about, examining in the publications Flying Full week and Area Technology. Listed below they are actually, correct in front of me." ... Therefore, my career has been actually as close as achievable to that of an air travel test developer. And then, directly on the heels of being actually mesmerized through atmospherical air travel, doing work in individual spaceflight has actually set me over the Moon.".-- Doctor Donald Mendoza, Principal Developer, NASA Design & Protection Facility, NASA's Ames Proving ground.Photo Credit Scores: NASA/Dominic HartInterviewer: NASA/Thalia Patrinos.Look at some of our other Images of NASA.