." Coming from my earliest youth, tour had regularly mesmerized me. I endured in the boonies and also the farmlands, so I failed to have neighbors to go and enjoy with. If I wasn't functioning, I was actually delegated to my own units, as well as commonly, I would only be astounded due to the animals and also particularly, the raptorial birds that I will see." To me, they embodied an independence of some kind or another. These birds and the scenery they have-- they can consume a great deal. Therefore, from that aspect on, I knew I wanted to be associated with trip and also aviation." I [delighted in] all points tour, all things spaceflight. I could not obtain good enough of it. I became an enthusiastic audience, whereas in the past, I wasn't much of an audience. I could not receive adequate material to check out my heroes coming from air travel as well as area. They became my good example as well as the path that they took involved, at some point or an additional, a rather strenuous education and learning as well as commitment to perform properly academically, actually, or athletically. Therefore, I threw on my own into that whole form of frame of mind." When I was actually benefiting the Air Force, I was able to fly as well as service airplane that I would fantasize around, looking at in the publications Air travel Full week as well as Area Modern Technology. Listed below they are actually, best in front of me." ... Thus, my profession has actually been actually as close as achievable to that of a tour test developer. And afterwards, directly on the heels of being spellbinded through atmospheric air travel, working in human spaceflight has actually set me over the Moon.".-- Physician Donald Mendoza, Chief Developer, NASA Design & Security Center, NASA's Ames Proving ground.Image Credit Report: NASA/Dominic HartInterviewer: NASA/Thalia Patrinos.Browse through a few of our other Images of NASA.