Matt W. Nugent

Kennedy Space Center, Institution of Structural Engineers

Papers

Total Citations

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About

Dr. Matt W. Nugent is a pioneering researcher in space-based additive construction and in situ resource utilization (ISRU), focusing on technologies that will enable humanity to build infrastructure on the Moon and Mars. His most influential work, "Zero Launch Mass Three-Dimensional Print Head" (2018, 15 citations), directly addresses a critical challenge identified by NASA’s Human Spaceflight Architecture Team and Mars Design Reference Architecture 5.0: the need to manufacture structures using local materials rather than launching heavy equipment from Earth. This concept of "zero launch mass" construction is foundational to sustainable off-world habitation. More recently, Dr. Nugent’s 2024 study, "Application of Regolith Polymer Composite Fused Granular Fabrication Construction in Simulated Lunar Conditions," demonstrates a practical method for 3D printing with simulated lunar soil, directly supporting NASA’s Artemis program goal of a sustained lunar presence. By proving that regolith-polymer composites can be fabricated in lunar-like environments, his work moves ISRU from theory toward operational reality. Dr. Nugent’s research is essential reading for engineers and scientists working to make permanent human settlements beyond Earth economically and logistically viable.