Chriet Titulaer
Encyclopedia
Chriet Titulaer is a Dutch
astronomer, former television presenter and popular science
and technology writer. He lives in Houten
, Utrecht province
.
The next year he organized the exposition Mens en het Heelal (Man and the Universe), then the largest meteorology, astronomy and space travel exposition ever held in the Netherlands.
After having lived and worked in the United States
and France
(both for two years) he became a presenter of Dutch radio and television programmes about science and technology. Between 1969 and 1990 he was often seen on television. His popularity began as co-presenter of the live transmission of the Apollo 11
moon landing
(as well as the later moon landings), together with Henk Terlingen
(popularly known as "Apollo Henkie"). The transmission rated at an audience share
of 100%, a feat never again repeated on Dutch television. He also was the commentator for the first launch of Space Shuttle Columbia
in 1981.
. He presented popular science programmes such as Wondere Wereld (Miraculous World) and television courses such as Moderne Sterrenkunde (Modern Astronomy) and Nederland en het Weer (The Netherlands and the Weather).
Jaarbeurs
in Utrecht
. As a promotion a true to size painting of a Saturn V
rocket was put on the side of the Dom Tower of Utrecht
as both the rocket and the church tower are about 110 metres high.
Titulaer wrote many books about popular science, computers, IT, meteorology and astronomy. He still is active as an advocate for science and technology and is often asked as a keynote speaker for events related to these areas and for theme days on schools and universities. His appearances on radio and television are relatively rare nowadays.
He founded projects such as the now defunct Huis van de Toekomst (House of the Future), Kantoor van de Toekomst (Office of the Future) and the Ziekenhuis van de Toekomst (Hospital of the Future). He also co-initiated the recreation and education park for astronomy and space travel Cosmo Science Center in North Brabant
. The initiative faltered.
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
astronomer, former television presenter and popular science
Popular science
Popular science, sometimes called literature of science, is interpretation of science intended for a general audience. While science journalism focuses on recent scientific developments, popular science is broad-ranging, often written by scientists as well as journalists, and is presented in many...
and technology writer. He lives in Houten
Houten
Houten is a municipality in the Netherlands, in the province of Utrecht. The expected population in 2015 will be 50,000. The municipality consists of the following towns:* Houten * 't Goy * Schalkwijk...
, Utrecht province
Utrecht (province)
Utrecht is the smallest province of the Netherlands in terms of area, and is located in the centre of the country. It is bordered by the Eemmeer in the north, Gelderland in the east, the river Rhine in the south, South Holland in the west, and North Holland in the northwest...
.
Biography
Titulaer went to high school at the St.-Thomascollege in Venlo (now the Valuas College). He studied maths and physics at the University of Utrecht with as main course astronomy. At the university he joined the student association CS Veritas. During his studies he founded (together with Ton Smit) the Venlo chapter of the Nederlandse Vereniging voor Weer- en Sterrenkunde (Dutch association for meteorology and astronomy) on April 18, 1965 (since 1990 known as the Weer- en Sterrenkundige Vereniging "Jean Delsing").The next year he organized the exposition Mens en het Heelal (Man and the Universe), then the largest meteorology, astronomy and space travel exposition ever held in the Netherlands.
After having lived and worked in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
(both for two years) he became a presenter of Dutch radio and television programmes about science and technology. Between 1969 and 1990 he was often seen on television. His popularity began as co-presenter of the live transmission of the Apollo 11
Apollo 11
In early 1969, Bill Anders accepted a job with the National Space Council effective in August 1969 and announced his retirement as an astronaut. At that point Ken Mattingly was moved from the support crew into parallel training with Anders as backup Command Module Pilot in case Apollo 11 was...
moon landing
Moon landing
A moon landing is the arrival of a spacecraft on the surface of the Moon. This includes both manned and unmanned missions. The first human-made object to reach the surface of the Moon was the Soviet Union's Luna 2 mission on 13 September 1959. The United States's Apollo 11 was the first manned...
(as well as the later moon landings), together with Henk Terlingen
Henk Terlingen
Hendrik L.E.M. Terlingen was a Dutch radio and television presenter.....
(popularly known as "Apollo Henkie"). The transmission rated at an audience share
Audience measurement
Audience measurement measures how many people are in an audience, usually in relation to radio listenership and television viewership, but also in relation to newspaper and magazine readership and, increasingly, web traffic on websites...
of 100%, a feat never again repeated on Dutch television. He also was the commentator for the first launch of Space Shuttle Columbia
Space Shuttle Columbia
Space Shuttle Columbia was the first spaceworthy Space Shuttle in NASA's orbital fleet. First launched on the STS-1 mission, the first of the Space Shuttle program, it completed 27 missions before being destroyed during re-entry on February 1, 2003 near the end of its 28th, STS-107. All seven crew...
in 1981.
Television producer and writer
In 1983 Titulaer began his own television production company Chriet Titulaer Producties BV and did much work for Teleac and the TROSTROS
TROS is a Dutch television and radio organization part of the Netherlands Public Broadcasting...
. He presented popular science programmes such as Wondere Wereld (Miraculous World) and television courses such as Moderne Sterrenkunde (Modern Astronomy) and Nederland en het Weer (The Netherlands and the Weather).
Later activities
In 1986 he organized the space travel exhibition Space '86 in theJaarbeurs
Jaarbeurs
The Jaarbeurs is an exhibition and convention center in Utrecht, the Netherlands, which is well-known in the Netherlands because of national events such as formerly Space '86 and the Hobby Computer Club Days ....
in Utrecht
Utrecht
Utrecht is a city in the Netherlands.The name may also refer to:* Utrecht , of which Utrecht is the capital* Utrecht , including the city of Utrecht* Bishopric of Utrecht* Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Utrecht...
. As a promotion a true to size painting of a Saturn V
Saturn V
The Saturn V was an American human-rated expendable rocket used by NASA's Apollo and Skylab programs from 1967 until 1973. A multistage liquid-fueled launch vehicle, NASA launched 13 Saturn Vs from the Kennedy Space Center, Florida with no loss of crew or payload...
rocket was put on the side of the Dom Tower of Utrecht
Dom Tower of Utrecht
The Dom Tower of Utrecht is the tallest church tower in the Netherlands, at 112.5 metres in height, and the Gothic-style tower is the symbol of the city. The tower was part of the Cathedral of Saint Martin, Utrecht, also known as Dom Church, and was built between 1321 and 1382, to a design by...
as both the rocket and the church tower are about 110 metres high.
Titulaer wrote many books about popular science, computers, IT, meteorology and astronomy. He still is active as an advocate for science and technology and is often asked as a keynote speaker for events related to these areas and for theme days on schools and universities. His appearances on radio and television are relatively rare nowadays.
He founded projects such as the now defunct Huis van de Toekomst (House of the Future), Kantoor van de Toekomst (Office of the Future) and the Ziekenhuis van de Toekomst (Hospital of the Future). He also co-initiated the recreation and education park for astronomy and space travel Cosmo Science Center in North Brabant
North Brabant
North Brabant , sometimes called Brabant, is a province of the Netherlands, located in the south of the country, bordered by Belgium in the south, the Meuse River in the north, Limburg in the east and Zeeland in the west.- History :...
. The initiative faltered.
Trivia
- After the Apollo program was axed in the early '70s Titulaer visited the RockwellRockwell InternationalRockwell International was a major American manufacturing conglomerate in the latter half of the 20th century, involved in aircraft, the space industry, both defense-oriented and commercial electronics, automotive and truck components, printing presses, valves and meters, and industrial automation....
factory and saw one of the unfinished Apollo capsules standing there which had been under construction for one of the cancelled flights at a cost of US$10 million. Jokingly he said he would buy it for $1 and to his surprise the Rockwell representative accepted his offer and held him to the purchase. Martin SchröderMartin SchröderJohan Martin Schröder is a Dutch pilot and founder of Martinair, the second Dutch airline and the first Dutch air charter company. At the founding in 1958 the company was known as Martin's Air Charter ....
, president of MartinairMartinairFor the American cargo airline, see Martinaire.Martinair Holland N.V., operating as Martinair, is an airline headquartered in the TransPort Building on the grounds of Amsterdam Airport Schiphol in Haarlemmermeer, Netherlands. It operates cargo services to over 50 destinations worldwide. Services...
, who was also there said he would stick it the back of his Boeing 747Boeing 747The Boeing 747 is a wide-body commercial airliner and cargo transport, often referred to by its original nickname, Jumbo Jet, or Queen of the Skies. It is among the world's most recognizable aircraft, and was the first wide-body ever produced...
. The capsule didn't fit through the plane's doors so Titulaer had it shipped to the Netherlands. There it stood in the backyard of his house as a garden ornamentGarden ornamentA Garden ornament is an item used for garden, landscape, and park enhancement and decoration.The category can include:*bird baths,**bird feeders,**nest box-bird houses*columns - cast stone*fountains,**rocks and boulders with basins...
for many years until a Japanese gentleman rang his doorbell and offered to buy the capsule for 30,000 Dutch guilders, which Titulaer accepted. - An asteroidAsteroidAsteroids are a class of small Solar System bodies in orbit around the Sun. They have also been called planetoids, especially the larger ones...
is named after him: 12133 Titulaer12133 Titulaer12133 Titulaer is a main belt asteroid with an orbital period of 2030.2088307 days . The asteroid was discovered on September 24, 1960 and is named after the Dutch astronomer Chriet Titulaer....
. - Public transport company Veolia named one of their Velios trains after Titulaer.
- His Abraham LincolnAbraham LincolnAbraham Lincoln was the 16th President of the United States, serving from March 1861 until his assassination in April 1865. He successfully led his country through a great constitutional, military and moral crisis – the American Civil War – preserving the Union, while ending slavery, and...
style beard and his soft GHard and soft GIn the Latin-based orthographies of many European languages , a distinction between hard and soft ⟨g⟩ occurs in which ⟨g⟩ represents two distinct phonemes...
make him a striking appearance who is instantly recognizable in the Netherlands. - Titulaer's given name is the short form of Christiaan or Christoffel in Limburg and is pronounced in English as krid.
- Several Dutch comedians such as Hilbert Elskamp, Robert Paul, Diederik van Vleuten, André van DuinAndré van DuinAndré van Duin is a Dutch actor , singer, writer and program creator.-Television, radio and theatre:...
and Wim de Bie did comic imitations of him.