Rancho Mirage man remembers career in space engineering

As the world remembers the Apollo Launch 50 years later, News Channel 3 spoke with a man who’s been making sure space shuttles have got off the ground in 1970.

Chuck Taylor lives in Rancho Mirage and is the founder of Tayco Engineering. For years, his company has made critical advancements in space exploration.

When the Challenger fell from the sky in 1986, NASA came to Taylor’s company to find a solution. Tayco helped develop electrical heaters and temperature sensors to make sure the space shuttle would have a safe mission.

“It got off the launch pad, and I cheered, and I was the only one that did,” remembered Taylor. “I said ‘What’s wrong?’ and come to find out they didn’t cheer until their job was done.”

Tayco recently helped provide NASA with similar technology for the Mars exploration rovers. The company also helped develop the cochlear implant with the House Ear Institute.

Taylor has yet to retire and is still known as the “Big Boss” at Tayco Engineering.