Alum Dylan Taylor Makes Flight to Space

Dylan Taylor, who graduated from MSE in 1993, recently became one of the few lucky humans in history to take a flight into space. Aboard Blue Origin spaceflight NS-19, Taylor left the Earth's atmosphere on December 11, 2021. Taylor, who also earned the College of Engineering's Alumnus of the Year Award in 2018, described the experience on his website. 

"The first word that came to mind as I looked down at the Earth from space was 'portal.' I am not sure that is the right word, but after reflecting on it for a day or so, I haven’t come up with a better description. By portal I mean that when you are above the Karman Line, you realize none of what we call 'reality' should exist. You realize that 99.999999% of the Universe is not 'this'," Taylor wrote. "I was struck by the notion that people live their whole lives thinking Earth, the air we breathe and the life we enjoy is natural and space is abstract. It is actually the exact opposite. What is natural is dark, cold and hostile space. We live just across the other side of a portal, in a magical place that is a miracle to exist at all. Earth is an oasis and that notion penetrates you very, very deeply from space."

Taylor was one of six crew members, alongside people like Laura Shepard Churchley, daughter of the first U.S. astronaut, and former New York Giants player Michael Strahan.

Taylor also recently endowed the $1 million Patrick R. Taylor Endowed Department Leadership Chair in Materials Science and Engineering in honor of his father.