Meet NASA Astronaut Dr. Michael Barratt
From OMSI to Orbit: Meet NASA Astronaut Dr. Michael Barratt
Join us for a short lecture and meet and greet with local NASA Astronaut, Dr. Michael Barratt.
Oct 3 + 4 | 2 - 3 pm | Doors open 1:45 pm | Auditorium
Tickets: Free to attend, RSVP required.
About the Speaker
NASA Astronaut Dr. Michael Barratt is a true pioneer who has spent a lifetime understanding how the human body adapts to the harshest, most extreme environments known to humanity.
Long before he left Earth, he began his journey right here in our community. Growing up in Camas, Washington, and graduating from Camas High School, his passion for the stars was ignited early on. As a young boy, he frequently visited the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry, where his mother volunteered. It was right here at OMSI that he attended classes and built his very first telescope with the guidance of the Planetarium director.
He joined NASA in 1991, initially serving as a flight surgeon and medical operations lead. His exceptional leadership led him to become the lead crew surgeon for the very first International Space Station expedition. His critical work in Russia at the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center and the Institute of Biomedical Problems laid the foundation for decades of international space collaboration.
In the year 2000, NASA selected him to join the astronaut corps. Since then, he has left our planet three times, logging hundreds of days in space and conducting critical spacewalks.
In 2009, during Expedition 19 and 20, he helped manage the historic transition that doubled the space station's permanent crew from three to six. He later flew on the final, historic voyage of the Space Shuttle Discovery during STS-133. And just recently, he returned to orbit once again, launching as the pilot of NASA’s SpaceX Crew-8 mission for an eight-month science expedition.
Beyond his time in orbit, he has managed NASA’s Human Research Program—safeguarding the health of the next generation of explorers heading to the Moon, Mars, and beyond. Yet, despite traveling millions of miles in orbit, he never forgot his roots. While aboard the ISS, he proudly wore his 'I am OMSI' t-shirt and displayed an OMSI poster, both of which now reside in Jim Todd's office.
He is a scientist, a pioneer, an author, and an explorer.