Discover More

Picnic Under the Stars

Gather up your family for some night time stargazing. When looking up at the night sky, you may observe a number of natural and human-made objects. Some cultures believe the objects in the sky form different objects and animals. What do you see? Because Earth is spinning, and we are attached to Earth, the objects […]

Imma Star

Every star has a story. Through every phase of their existence, stars release the energy that powers the universe. Join Mike Likes Science on a musical adventure about one of our sky’s greatest wonders. Stars are giant spheres of superhot gas made up mostly of hydrogen and helium. Stars get so hot by burning hydrogen into helium in […]

Design for new friends!

Exploring Life in Space

Humans can live in space! Since 1961, close to 600 people have made the trip past Earth’s atmosphere and into the final frontier. But hold on… When you stop and think about it, humans haven’t really adapted to the environment of space. Instead, we have designed innovative technologies that make space feel like Earth. Without […]

Signs of Life DIY Science Activity

Astrobiologists studying life on other planets and moons must conduct careful research to answer this question. Scientists don’t always agree, but in general, something that is alive can: Sometimes, astrobiologists observe something in space that seems alive, but is actually just acting alive.  In this at-home activity, you’ll test three substances – baking soda, yeast, […]

Baking A Cake on Mars

Explore what it would take to bake a cake on Mars with OMSI Educator Alexe – she is on a mission to bring the perfect birthday cake to the Mars Curiosity Rover. Wish her luck!  The first foods eaten in space were paste! Yum?  Yuri Gagarin, the first person to travel in space, proved that […]

Marshmallows in Space

Join OMSI Educator Glenford as he tests everything from marshmallows to slime inside a vacuum bell jar, a system that simulates the zero atmosphere environment of space. Will anything survive?  The air on Earth is made up of gas molecules – we call this atmosphere. All those molecules floating around us apply 14.7 pounds of […]

Tinkercad at OMSI

OMSI and Tinkercad have teamed up to create an exciting new interactive exhibit. Using a series of six, custom-built Innovation Stations running Tinkercad software, OMSI guests are encouraged to imagine and design the ideal space for their friends to gather.  Designed by Autodesk high school interns in Portland, the furniture in the new OMSI Hangout […]

Pen Pals

How has the pandemic changed your sense of community? Who do you connect with? How did the pandemic make some people more isolated? During the COVID-19 pandemic, we learned to create community in different ways. Before emails, cellphones, social media, or radio, people used to communicate with each other by writing letters and sending them […]

Boost Your Social Health

Healthy connections with others around you helps create healthy communities. Research shows that our physical, mental, and emotional well-being improve when we connect with others. Now, more than ever, our social connections and meaningful relationships help us stay healthy.