Phil Metzger

Recognized under Tier 2 — In-Situ Resource Utilization, Phil Metzger has made outstanding contributions to planetary regolith mechanics, rocket exhaust interactions with lunar and Martian surfaces, and the practical physics of off-world excavation and resource extraction at the University of Central Florida. Metzger's work addresses some of the most immediate engineering challenges standing between humanity and a self-sustaining presence beyond Earth, spanning the fundamental physics of how regolith behaves under excavation, rocket plume impingement, and processing conditions unique to extraterrestrial surfaces.