." From my earliest childhood years, flight had actually constantly spellbinded me. I endured in the boonies and the farmlands, so I didn't have neighbors to go and also enjoy with. If I had not been operating, I was left to my personal units, as well as often, I would certainly just be captivated by the wild animals and in particular, the birds of prey that I would see." To me, they embodied a liberty of some kind or yet another. These birds and also the viewpoint they have-- they may enjoy so much. Therefore, from that aspect on, I understood I wanted to be associated with tour and also air travel." I [taken pleasure in] all points flight, all traits spaceflight. I could not obtain enough of it. I became an enthusiastic audience, whereas in the past, I had not been a lot of a reader. I could not get enough product to read about my heroes coming from trip and also space. They became my good example as well as the road that they took involved, at some point or another, a pretty thorough learning and dedication to perform well academically, physically, or even athletically. So, I tossed on my own in to that whole entire kind of way of thinking." When I was helping the Flying force, I managed to soar and also service plane that I will fantasize approximately, looking at in the journals Aeronautics Week as well as Room Technology. Right here they are, appropriate in front of me." ... Therefore, my career has actually been actually as close as feasible to that of an air travel test developer. And afterwards, right on the heels of being spellbinded by climatic trip, working in human spaceflight has actually put me over the Moon.".-- Physician Donald Mendoza, Principal Engineer, NASA Engineering & Protection Facility, NASA's Ames .Graphic Credit Report: NASA/Dominic HartInterviewer: NASA/Thalia Patrinos.Take a look at some of our other Images of NASA.