Travis Shane Taylor (born July 24, 1968) is an American scientist, engineer, science fiction writer, and the star of National Geographic Channel's Rocket City Rednecks which aired 2011–2013. Taylor has written numerous technical papers, science fiction novels, and two textbooks. He has appeared in television documentaries including NGC's When Aliens Attack and is one of the primary investigative scientists on History Channel's The Secret of Skinwalker Ranch.

Early life Travis Shane Taylor was born on July 24, 1968, in Decatur, Alabama, in North Alabama. His father, Charles Taylor, worked as a machinist at Wyle Laboratories, which subcontracted for National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) in the 1960s.Ben Bartley, "Dr. Travis S. Taylor: Attempting to Understand Auburn’s Ubermensch", The War Leader, June 21, 2012. Retrieved September 23, 2012. As a boy, Taylor read science fiction and dismantled household electronics. While in high school, Taylor's family moved to Somerville, near Huntsville. At 17 years old, with the help of his neighbor, he built a radio telescope that won the state science fair.Meet the Ringleader of 'Rocket City Rednecks' | Space.com, http://www.space.com/13114-rocket-city-rednecks-travis-taylor-interview.html. Retrieved September 24, 2012. This led the Army to offer Taylor a job working at Redstone Arsenal on directed energy weapons systems directly out of high school as well as a scholarship.

Education Taylor earned a B.S. in electrical engineering from Auburn University in 1991, before going on to study at University of Alabama, Huntsville where he earned a MS in physics in 1994, a PhD in optical science and engineering in 1999, and a MSE in mechanical and aerospace engineering in 2001. He then completed a MS in astronomy in 2004 at the University of Western Sydney before earning a second PhD from University of Alabama, Huntsville in aerospace engineering in 2012.Alumni Author Spotlight: Travis Taylor, https://www.uah.edu/library/about/archived-library-events/10359-alumni-author-spotlight-travis-taylor . Retrieved May 10, 2021."Travis Taylor – Linkedin" (Personal Linkedin profile) https://www.linkedin.com/in/travis-taylor-8375915a. Retrieved May 7, 2021.

Career By 2006, Taylor had worked on various programs for the United States Department of Defense and NASA for over sixteen years. He has researched several advanced propulsion concepts, very large space telescopes, space-based beamed energy systems, high-energy lasers,Meet the Rocket City Rednecks, . Retrieved September 24, 2012. and next generation space launch concepts. Taylor has also been involved with Human intelligence (HUMINT), Imagery intelligence (IMINT), Signals intelligence (SIGINT) and Measurement and signature intelligence (MASINT) concept studies.

Taylor was the chief scientist on the Unidentified Aerial Phenomena Task Force (UAPTF). He is also a Principal Research Scientist at Radiance Technologies.

Science fiction According to Taylor, after he expressed his dissatisfaction with space opera and the comparative dearth of recent hard science fiction, he was challenged by his wife to write his first book, and studied Robert A. Heinlein's works for stylistic influence.Interview with Travis S. Taylor – Baen Books, . Retrieved September 24, 2012. His first novel, Warp Speed, was published in 2004. By 2020, Taylor had published 14 science fiction novels.

Personal life Taylor and his wife have two children, and they live in Somerville, Alabama.

Television Taylor first appeared in episodes of The Universe and Life After People for the History Channel in 2010, after his name came up in a search regarding space warfare.Exclusive Interview with Travis Taylor of Nat Geo's Rocket City Rednecks, http://www.tvtango.com/news/detail/id/400/exclusive-interview-with-travis-taylor-of-nat-geos-rocket-city-rednecks. Retrieved September 23, 2012. Taylor was then on National Geographic Channel's When Aliens Attack in 2011.Preview: NGC's "When Aliens Attack" and "Area 51 Declassified", Channel Guide Magazine, May 20, 2011.

In the summer of 2011, the National Geographic Channel announced a new series called Rocket City Rednecks which features Taylor. The first episode showed in September 2011.Mike Hale (September 27, 2011), "The Sticks, With Jet Propulsion" (Review), The New York Times,. Retrieved October 3, 2011. A self-proclaimed 'redneck rocket scientist', Taylor focuses on 'hillbilly ingenuity' for the show's backyard science experiments, aided by his family and best friend, who are all machinists and inventors.All-New Season, http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/channel/rocket-city-rednecks/. Retrieved December 4, 2012. The show ran for two seasons, from September 2011 to January 2013.Matt Wake, "'Rocket City Rednecks' not renewed for third season, National Geographic Channel spokesperson says", AL.com, April 25, 2013. Retrieved December 26, 2019.Rocket City Rednecks , IMDB. Retrieved December 25, 2019.

In 2015, he hosted the series 3 Scientists Walk into a Bar, which had four episodes in 2015.3 Scientists Walk into a Bar, IMDb. From 2017 he appeared on the History Channel show Ancient Aliens, starting in the Season 12 episode "Voices of the Gods," and following with appearances in 28 episodes through season 18. Additional History Channel appearances were on The Tesla Files and The Curse of Oak Island in 2019. Taylor, along with principal investigator Erik Bard, leads a History Channel series focusing on mysteries titled The Secret of Skinwalker Ranch, in which they investigate potentially anomalous phenomena. On other networks, he appeared in episodes of In Search of Monsters and NASA's Unexplained Files.

Filmography Year Title Role Production Episodes Notes 2009–2010 The Universe Self The History Channel 6 episodes 2010 Life After People Self The History Channel 5 Episodes 2011 When Aliens Attack Self National Geographic Channel Film2011–2013 Rocket City Rednecks Host and producer National Geographic Channel 6 Episodes (Producer for 1 episode) 2014 The Independents Self Fox Business Apocalypse Now (2014) 2015 3 Scientists Walk into a Bar Host The Weather Channel4 episodes 2018 The Tesla Files Host The History Channel 5 episodes2014–presentThe Curse of Oak IslandSelf The History Channel Rock Solid (2019) 2019 In Search of Monsters Self Travel Channel The Loch Ness Monster (2019) 2019 NASA's Unexplained Files Self Science Channel 5 episodes 2021 America's Book of Secrets Self The History Channel 5 episodes 2017–2021 Ancient Aliens Self The History Channel 23 episodes 2019–2021 The UnXplained Self The History Channel 15 episodes 2022 A Tear in the Sky Self Omnium Media Documentary Film 2020–present The Secret of Skinwalker Ranch() Self The History Channel 27 episodes

The Age of Disclosure Taylor is a participant in The Age of Disclosure, a 2025 documentary film about UFOs and claimed government programs involving recovery of alien technology crashed on Earth.

Bibliography Fiction Year Title Series Notes References2004Warp Speed Warp Speed 2005The Quantum ConnectionWarp Speed 2006 Von Neumann's WarCo-author with John Ringo2007Vorpal BladeLooking Glass Co-author with John Ringo 2007One Day on MarsTau Ceti Agenda 2007The Tau Ceti AgendaTau Ceti Agenda 2008Human by ChoiceCresperian Co-author with Darrell Bain2009One Good SoldierTau Ceti Agenda 2010Back to the MoonSpace ExcursionCo-author with Les Johnson2011Extraction Point!PointCo-author with Stephanie Osborn2015Trail of EvilTau Ceti Agenda2016On to the AsteroidSpace ExcursionCo-author with Les Johnson2017Kill Before DyingTau Ceti Agenda2017Moon BeamMoon BeamCo-author with Jody Lynn Nye2018Bringers of HellTau Ceti Agenda2019Moon TracksMoon BeamCo-author with Jody Lynn Nye2020Battle LunaCo-author with Kacey Ezell, Josh Hayes, Michael Z. Williamson, and Timothy Zahn2021Saving ProximaCo-author with Les Johnson2022Ballistic

Nonfiction books Year Title publisher Notes References2006An Introduction to Planetary DefenseBrown Walker PressCo-author Bob Boan2009Introduction to Rocket Science and EngineeringCRC Press2010The Science Behind The SecretBaen Books2011Alien InvasionBaen BooksCo-author Bob Boan2012A New American Space PlanBaen BooksCo-author Stephanie Osburn2019Introduction to Laser Science and EngineeringCRC Press

Footnotes

References

External links Travis S. Taylor on Baen Books (archived)