Titulaer went to high school at the St.-Thomascollege in Venlo. He studied maths and physics at the University of Utrecht with a major in astronomy. At the university he joined the student association CS Veritas. During his studies he founded the Venlo chapter of the Nederlandse Vereniging voor Weer- en Sterrenkunde on April 18, 1965. The next year he organized the exposition Mens en het Heelal, 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 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, together with Henk Terlingen. 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.
Television producer and writer
In 1983 Titulaer began his own television production companyChriet Titulaer Producties BV and did much work for Teleac and the TROS. He presented popular science programmes such as Wondere Wereld and television courses such as Moderne Sterrenkunde and Nederland en het Weer.
Later activities
In 1986 he organized the space travel exhibition Space '86 in the 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 tall. Titulaer wrote many books about popular science, computers, IT, meteorology and astronomy. He was an active advocate for science and technology and was 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 became relatively rare. He founded projects such as the now defunct Huis van de Toekomst, Kantoor van de Toekomst and the Ziekenhuis van de Toekomst. He also co-initiated the recreation and education park for astronomy and space travel Cosmo Science Center in North Brabant. The initiative faltered.
Trivia
After the Apollo program was axed in the early '70s Titulaer visited the Rockwell 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 Schröder, president of Martinair, who was also there said he would stick it in the back of his Boeing 747. 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 ornament for many years until a Japanese gentleman rang his doorbell and offered to buy the capsule for 30,000 Dutch guilders, which Titulaer accepted.
