Shows / Made of Stars
Made of Stars
Made of Stars is a look at everything in space exploration from programs and vehicles on Earth to discoveries made just out of our atmosphere and into deep space. Space enthusiast Wes Carroll interviews executive director of CSU's Coca-Cola Space Science center Dr. Shawn Cruzen each week with new episodes published Thursday mornings.
Georgia Association of Broadcasters winner for Best Podcast Series at the 2022 and 2026 Gabby Awards
Support the Podcast https://www.patreon.com/Wescarroll
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Episodes
- Made of Stars
Is the Morning Star Not Really a Star?
Astronomers are using the JWST to determine if the morning star us even a star. Blue Origin is set to launch their 2nd New Glenn rocket as soon as the end of…
- Made of Stars
Your Friendly Neighborhood Rocket Scientist Les Johnson
Wes and Shawn are joined by Chief Technologist at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center and author Les Johnson to talk about the symbiotic relationship of…
- Made of Stars
X-37B Set to Launch Tonight... Weather Permitting
SpaceX is set to launch the X-37B tonight if the weather allows. A fireball exploded above Japan this week lighting up the night sky. Arctic aurora season has…
- Made of Stars
The Passing of a NASA Legend
NASA astronaut Jim Lovell passed away at the age of 97 and his story is more than just Apollo 13. Artemis 2 is doing more preparation for a February to April…
- Made of Stars
Hey Now, Hey Now
It's a crowded house aboard the ISS with 11 crew members on board. Crew-10 is preparing to leave and make things a little less crowded. Bitch Wilmore has…
- Made of Stars
Skyfall on Mars?
NASA's Crew 11 scheduled to launch today. NASA and JPL have announced their plans for a sequel to the Ingenuity helicopter. The recently discovered…
- Made of Stars
Half of the Planet Will Go Dark? It Happens Every Night
NASA's Crew-10 will hold a press conference to update their mission and talk about their return home. Scientists have discovered a new giant molecular cloud in…
- Made of Stars
When You See the Southern Cross for the First Time
Wes recaps stargazing in Australia before talking about the Bogong Moths that use the stars to navigate their migration patterns. Plus, Ax-4's crew is now back…
- Made of Stars
New York to Paris in Under an Hour?!
Venus Aerospace successfully flew the world’s first atmospheric test of a rotating detonation rocket engine that could eventually lead to a 55 minute trip from…
- Made of Stars
American Hero Brigadier General David R. Scott
This week we honor an American hero who walked and drove a car on the moon. Become a supporter of this podcast…
- Made of Stars
A Look Back to Our Interview with Al Worden
Wes and Shawn interviewed Col. Al Worden in 2011. He passed away in 2020. This week we look back to that interview. Become a supporter of this podcast…
- Made of Stars
Studying Medicine In Space
Cancer treatments and cures may come from studies done in space. Scientists are taking the mystery out of the sun's poles. Scientists have a new look at the…
- Made of Stars
No, the Strawberry Moon Isn't Pink
The Strawberry Moon's name doesn't come from it's color but from what time of year strawberries are at peak ripeness. Japan's Resilience spacecraft has slammed…
- Made of Stars
Jared Isaacman's Launch Aborted
Jared Isaacman will not be NASA's next administrator. Active region 4100 has ended. Axiom's Ax-4 launch has been delayed to June 10. New research says the…
- Made of Stars
China and Russia Have Big Plans for the Moon
China and Russia have made a deal to build a nuclear power facility on the Moon. SpaceX has both wins and losses with its latest Starship launch. A sunspot has…
- Made of Stars
There's Gold In This Here Episode
A star has been observed exiting a galaxy... with a planet in tow. Scientists say that have discovered a new source for gold in the universe. Researchers have…
- Made of Stars
The Universe Is Doomed! (Pardon the Clickbait)
Scientists say the universe's expiration date us much sooner than they had expected... but we still have a really, really long time left. Soviet zombie…
- Made of Stars
SpaceX Starship Gets Approval for 25 Launches Per Year
The USSR Zombie probe will likely make landfall this weekend. NASA is ready to explore Titan witha very large drone. Japan's Resilence lunar lander has entered…
- Made of Stars
Isaacman Is a Step Closer to Leading NASA
Jared Isaacman awaits the final Senate vote to conform him as the new administrator of NASA. A 50 year-old Russian spacecraft is heading for Earth. What are…
- Made of Stars
Life on Exoplanet K2-18 b? Seems Fishy
New data from exoplanet K2-18 b suggests that there COULD be life on the ocean world, but there's a lot more science to be done. NASA's Lucy spacecraft has…
- Made of Stars
Baby, You're a Firework
Blue Origin sent six women into space and there's been a lot of talk about whether they are astronauts or not. Aurora lit up the skies in Europe and New…
- Made of Stars
Isaacman Says He's Aiming for Mars
Jared Isaacman is a step closer to being conformed as the new head of NASA. The FRAM2 private astronaut mission is complete. SPHEREx and JWST both have wins!…
- Made of Stars
You Set My Soul Alight
Massive star explosions may have triggered two mass extinctions in Earth's past. Actively feeding supermassive black holes could be good for life. The Large…
- Made of Stars
Artemis II Mission Now Has Its Boosters
NASA's Artemis II mission is a step closer to ready for launch in 2026 as its twin boosters have been attached inside the VAB at Kennedy Space Center. SpaceX…
- Made of Stars
The Astronauts Are Definitely Not Stranded Now
After a nine month mission that started as an eight day mission, NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams have returned home. Starliner's next test…
- Made of Stars
Crew-10 Delayed as Crew-9 Waits to Return Home
SpaceX delayed the Crew-10 mission's launch after an issue with the transporter-erector which means Butch and Suni will wait a little longer to return home. A…
- Made of Stars
Lunar Landers and a Battle of ISS Semantics
Crew-9 is preparing to return home. Intuitive Machines has landed the IM-2 on the Moon but at the moment, it's status is unknown. Firefly's Blue Ghost…
- Made of Stars
An Updated Reason Why Mars Is Red
Two lunar landers are getting ready for a similar touch down next week. Don't forget about Saturn's disappearing rings. Mars is still red but the reason has…
- Made of Stars
About That Asteroid Heading Our Way in 2032
Yes and asteroid is heading our way in 2032, and yes t he chances of it hitting Earth have gone up, but odds are still in our favor. Plus, NASA is reportedly…
- Made of Stars
Did Quipu Come from Uranus?
Boeing faces cuts for half of its SLS staff. Crew-9 set to return home a little earlier than previously scheduled. May's solar storm created two new radiation…
- Made of Stars
The Fantastic Two?
With the upcoming release of The Fantastic Four: First Steps, it seems appropriate that the Einstein Probe observes a 'weird explosion". JWST has observed a…
- Made of Stars
Molecules Key for Life Found on Bennu
The President and Elon Musk have taken to social media to talk about plans to return "stranded" astronauts home from the ISS. OSIRIS-REx mission has given…
- Made of Stars
Musk and Bezos Go to Washington
Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos both attended President Trump's inauguration this week. Blue Origin and SpaceX launched their big rockets with different results. The…
- Made of Stars
Dropping Things Much Like They are High In Temperature
Two big rockets are set to launch today. The ISS has deployed the first ever satellite made from wood. JWST has discovered one of the first gargantuan…
- Made of Stars
It's a Good Tiime for Looking Up
Blue Origin is planning to launch its New Glenn rocket tonight. No, seven planst aren't lining up in the night time sky. Yes, the Moon and Mars are. Starlink…
- Made of Stars
Auroral Fireworks! Happy New Year!
Solar activity gave many around the world a dazzling show of auroral activity to begin 2025. The Parker Solar Probe survived its record breaking pass of the…
- Made of Stars
Recapping Space News of 2024 Part 2
This week Wes and Shawn take a look back at the 5 biggest space news stories of 2024 Become a supporter of this podcast…
- Made of Stars
Recapping Space News of 2024 Part 1
This week, Wes and Shawn begin their look back at the 10 biggest space news stories of 2024 Become a supporter of this podcast…
- Made of Stars
Jupiter, Mars and Isaacman, Oh My!
Jupiter dazzles in the nightime sky. A massive thunderstorm was spotted on Jupiter. Nominee to run NASA Jared Isaacman has given his first public statements…
- Made of Stars
Jared Isaacman Is Trump's Pick to Lead NASA
Jared Isaacman has been named as the former and future President's pick to lead NASA in the new administration. Isaacman has been to space as a commercial…
- Made of Stars
No, Turkey Isn't Moist in Space
Astronauts aboard the ISS shared a video of themselves opening up their Thanksgiving MREs in space and revaled what their feast would include. There's a…
- Made of Stars
SpaceX Doesn't Catch the Booster with the President-elect Watching
With a group of VIPs watching, SpaceX was not able to catch the booster for its latest Super HEavy Launch. Optus-X was launched by SpaceX Sunday, but what is…
- Made of Stars
Electricity from Space?!
Iceland is preparing to receive solar power from a satellite that is beamed down to Earth. Uranus' moon Miranda may have an ocean beneath its surface. Plus…
- Made of Stars
Crew-9 Had to Board Their Dragon and Move It
The Crew-9 astronauts aboard the ISS all boarded their Dragon capsule so they could move it to another docking port to allow a delivery to be made. SpaceX…
- Made of Stars
Celebrating Halloween and Podcast #200
NASA has regained communication with Voyager 1. Perseverance gets a new look and photographs of an asteroid crater on Mars. New data shows methane rich crust…
- Made of Stars
SpaceX Crew-8 Wasn't Stuck Either
SpaceX Crew-8 is on its way home and in spite of reports, it wasn't stuck in space. SpaceX has rolled out its next Heavy Booster. An X-Class solar flare was…
- Made of Stars
A Second Wave of Aurora... But Could There Be a Third?!
We warned you that a second wave of aurora could be coming on last week's show and it did. And there's a chance a third wave could be coming as well. Comet…
- Made of Stars
Severe Geomagnetic Storm Watch Tonight!
Severe geomagnetic storms could produce another night of auroral activity like what we experienced in May. Also, there are now two comets lighting up the night…
- Made of Stars
Starliner Astronauts Now Officially Have a Ride Home
The SpaceX Crew-9 mission has launched and docked with the ISS and the 2 Starliner astronauts have seats for a ride home in February. The two NASA astronauts…
- Made of Stars
The Captain Armband Has Been Passed on ISS
Hurricane Helene has delayed the launch of Crew-9. Russia's Soyuz returned home Monday bringing to Earth Oleg Kononenko who now holds the record for most…
- Made of Stars
What If an Astronaut Needs Surgery in Space?
This week, Shawn is off and Wes responds to a question sent in by a listener who wants to know what would happen if an astronaut aboard the ISS needed surgery…
- Made of Stars
A New Dawn for Commercial Space Missions
Polaris Dawn has completed its spacewalk. Starliner successfully returned to Earth. October will give us comet A3. WASP-76b has iron winds and rain. Become a…
- Made of Stars
Starliner Prepares to Return Home
Boeing's Starliner will return home this weekend with its astronauts still on board the ISS. SpaceX will launch its Crew-9 mission later this month with empty…
- Made of Stars
Astronaut Cady Coleman Joins Us
Retired astronaut talks with us to talk about appearing at Dragon Con, her book Sharing Space, her documentary The Longest Goodbye, and her incredible career…
- Made of Stars
Doritos, a Milky Way and a Glass of Tang
The Polaris Dawn Mission is preparing to launch on Tuesday and taking with it some space friendly Doritos. NASA has issued a a FAQ about the Starliner mission…
- Made of Stars
Liquid Water on Mars... Could That Mean?
Data from the Mars Insight Lander has revealed oceans of water beneath the surface of Mars. A severe STEVE was detected this week and seen in Texas. Jupiter…
- Made of Stars
Okay, So Maybe They're Actually Stuck
The Starliner crew may be catching a ride home with SpaceX in February. SpaceX will talk a commercial crew to a very high orbit to do a space walk soon…
- Made of Stars
Live from the Kennedy Space Center for Artemis 2 Part 2
We took Made of Stars mobile this week for the arrival of the SLS Core Stage arrival at Kennedy Space Center. Part 2 this week, Wes and Shawn talk about their…
- Made of Stars
Live from the Kennedy Space Center for Artemis 2 Part 1
We took Made of Stars mobile this week for the arrival of the SLS Core Stage arrival at Kennedy Space Center. Part 1 this week, Wes and Shawn talk about the…
- Made of Stars
Bolides Over Manhattan
New Yorkers were treated to a fireworks show of sorts when a beach-ball sized meteor passed through t he sky. NASA will re-evaluate scedhuled trips for…