." From my earliest childhood years, flight had actually always astounded me. I survived in the boonies and also the fields, so I really did not possess neighbors to go and have fun with. If I wasn't operating, I was actually entrusted to my very own units, and also usually, I would only be astounded by the wildlife as well as especially, the birds of prey that I would certainly see." To me, they represented an independence of some kind or even another. These birds and the scenery they possess-- they may take in a lot. So, coming from that aspect on, I understood I intended to be actually associated with trip and also flying." I [appreciated] all traits flight, all points spaceflight. I couldn't obtain sufficient of it. I became an enthusiastic audience, whereas before, I wasn't a lot of an audience. I could not obtain adequate material to check out my heroes coming from trip as well as area. They became my role models and also the road that they took involved, at some time or another, a quite extensive learning as well as devotion to doing effectively academically, physically, or even athletically. Therefore, I tossed myself into that whole entire form of perspective." When I was actually benefiting the Flying force, I had the capacity to fly and work with plane that I would hope approximately, considering in the publications Aviation Full week and Room Technology. Here they are actually, appropriate facing me." ... Therefore, my profession has actually been actually as close as possible to that of a tour examination developer. And then, precisely the heels of being actually astounded by climatic flight, working in human spaceflight has actually placed me over the Moon.".-- Physician Donald Mendoza, Chief Developer, NASA Design & Safety And Security Center, NASA's Ames Proving ground.Picture Credit Scores: NASA/Dominic HartInterviewer: NASA/Thalia Patrinos.Have a look at several of our other Images of NASA.