Poster for the European tour.
Star Trek: Federation Science was a long-running touring exhibition that opened in 1992, dedicated to illustrating the real science behind the Star Trek series.
Produced by the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry (lead writer, Mark Bourne), the exhibit was originally developed to coincide with both the 25th anniversary and the 1992 International Space Year, before becoming a touring exhibition and undertaking an extensive North American tour in September of that year. The exhibition ran concurrently with a special planetarium show, Star Trek: Orion Rendezvous.
The exhibit proved to be so popular that a second edition was constructed in 1994. In 1998, a third exhibition began a multi-city European tour. The exhibit, which had a ten year life expectancy, was fully retired by the end 2003.
Through 2000, the combined worldwide attendance exceeded 5 million visitors.
The 4,000 to 10,000 ft2 exhibition featured from 30 to over 40 modular touch-screen displays illustrating various scientific concepts, with interactive consoles featuring special "missions", along with instructional videos from Patrick Stewart, Brent Spiner (in character as Data), LeVar Burton and Gates McFadden.
Star Trek author Christopher L. Bennett was a staff member at the exhibition in Cincinnati in 1996. At that venue, the exhibition attracted 88,926 visitors.
North American tour[]
| Museum | Location | Opened | Closed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oregon Museum of Science and Industry | Portland, Oregon | 25 January 1992 | 7 September 1992 |
| Boston Museum of Science | Boston, Massachusetts | 3 October 1992 | 3 January 1993 |
| SciTrek | Atlanta, Georgia | 30 January 1993 | 2 May 1993 |
| Buffalo Museum of Science | Buffalo, New York | 1 June 1993 | 6 September 1993 |
| Chicago Museum of Science and Industry | Chicago, Colorado | 1 October 1993 | 3 January 1994 |
| Denver Museum of Natural History | Denver, Colorado | 4 February 1994 | 5 June 1994 |
| California Academy of Sciences | San Francisco, California | 5 February 1994 | 1 May 1994 |
| Science World, British Columbia | Vancouver, British Columbia | 4 June 1994 | 5 September 1994 |
| Carnegie Science Center | Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania | 1 July 1994 | 1 January 1995 |
| Franklin Institute Science Museum | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | 7 October 1994 | 2 January 1995 |
| Museum of Science and Industry | Tampa, Florida | 4 February 1995 | 4 September 1995 |
| Morris Museum | Morristown, New Jersey | 1 February 1995 | 30 April 1995 |
| Museum of Man and Nature | Winnipeg, Manitoba | 1 June 1995 | 4 September 1995 |
| The Science Place | Dallas, Texas | 29 September 1995 | 1 January 1996 |
| Virginia Air and Space Museum | Hampton, Virginia | 26 January 1996 | 30 April 1996 |
| Cincinnati Museum Center | Cincinnati, Ohio | 3 February 1996 | 28 April 1996 |
| Oregon Museum of Science and Industry | Portland, Oregon | 24 May 1996 | Fall 1996 |
| Pacific Science Center | Seattle, Washington | 25 May 1996 | 2 September 1996 |
| Ontario Science Centre | Toronto, Ontario | 28 September 1996 | 5 January 1997 |
| Science Center of Iowa | Des Moines, Iowa | 1 February 1997 | 27 April 1997 |
| San Bernardino County Museum | Redlands, California | 25 January 1997 | 27 April 1997 |
| Science Center of Connecticut | Hartford, Connecticut | 23 May 1997 | 1 September 1997 |
| Great Lakes Science Center | Cleveland, Ohio | 24 May 1997 | 1 September 1997 |
| Maryland Science Center | Baltimore, Maryland | 27 September 1997 | 4 January 1998 |
| Miami Museum of Science | Miami, Florida | 31 January 1998 | 3 May 1998 |
| Orlando Science Center | Orlando, Florida | 30 May 1998 | 7 September 1998 |
| South Carolina State Museum | Columbia, South Carolina | 30 January 1999 | 2 May 1999 |
| Cumberland Science Museum | Nashville, Tennessee | 29 May 1999 | 6 September 1999 |
| Gulf Coast Explorium | Mobile, Alabama | 2 October 1999 | 2 January 2000 |
| South Florida Science Museum | Palm Beach, Florida | 29 January 2000 | 1 May 2000 |
| Science Museum of Western Virginia | Roanoke, Virginia | 7 October 2000 | 31 December 2000 |
| Virginia Air and Space Museum | Hampton, Virginia | 27 January 2001 | 30 April 2001 |
| Grand Rapids Museum Center | Grand Rapids, Michigan | 26 May 2001 | 3 September 2001 |
| Durham Western Heritage Museum | Omaha, Nebraska | 29 September 2001 | 1 January 2002 |
| Louisville Science Center | Louisville, Kentucky | 26 January 2002 | 19 May 2002 |
European tour[]
| Museum | Location | Opened | Closed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hansestadt Bremen | Bremen, Germany | 22 January 1999 | 11 April 1999 |
| Eishalle | Rostock, Germany | 21 May 1999 | 29 August 1999 |
| Kunsthal | Rotterdam, The Netherlands | 18 December 1999 | 2 April 2000 |
| Museokeskus Vapriikki | Tampere, Finland | 28 April 2000 | 20 August 2000 |
| Science Museum | London, UK | 15 September 2000 | 22 April 2001 |
| Hancock Museum | Newcastle, UK | 12 May 2001 | 9 September 2001 |
| Tekniska Museet | Stockholm, Sweden | 18 November 2001 | 18 April 2002 |
| Museum of Science and Industry | Manchester, UK | 28 June 2002 | 27 October 2002 |
| National Museum and Gallery of Wales | Cardiff, UK | November 2002 | 22 April 2003 |
| Odyssey | Belfast, UK | 9 May 2003 | 7 September 2003 |