John Robert Brucato
Senior Research Scientist
John Brucato is senior research scientist, he is the head of the Laboratory of Astrobiology at INAF Arcetri Astrophysical Observatory Firenze. His expertise is based on laboratory studies related to astrobiology with the objectives to simulate processes that are active in the Solar System and interstellar medium. He is professor of Astrobiology class at Department of Physics and Astronomy of the University of Firenze.
His activity is focused on processes that led to formation and evolution of organic matter in space as basic mechanism that led to the origin of life on Earth and possibly in other planetary bodies.
He is currently PI of the AstroBio-CubeSat (ABCS) mission selected by ESA through the Announcement of Opportunity for the Launch of Small Satellites on VEGA-C Maiden Flight Ref. VG-AO-0-D-30001-ESA for the inaugural flight Vega-C for the launch of LARES-II. ABCS is an Italian 3U cubesat mission (launch on 2021) aimed to test on an innovative lab-on-chip device to conduct the detection of organic biomolecules in space at MEO orbit.
He is involved in chemical and mineralogical analysis of meteorites, interstellar dust and sample returned on Earth by space missions. He was involved in the analyses of cometary grains returned on Earth from comet Wild 2 by NASA STARDUST mission. He was member of ESA science teams for the study of sample return missions MarcoPolo-R and PHOOTPRINT. He is member of NASA OSIRIS-REx sample return mission from the primitive asteroid Bennu and of PROSPECT payload developed by ESA for application at the lunar surface as part of international lunar exploration missions with Russia.
John Brucato was responsible of planetary protection of DREAMS instrumento on board of ExoMars 2016 lander for martian atmospheric science. He is now memberber of the science team of MOMA instruments for search of organic compound on Mars on board of ExoMars 2020 rover and research associate collaborator of SHERLOC and SuperCam intrument on board NASA Mars-2020 rover Perseverance. In collaboration with eurpean colleagues, he supports the establishment of an European facility for collection, handling and analysis of samples returned on Earth from space missions.
He is author of about 300 research papers including 115 published in international peer reviewed journals with about 4000 citations and H-index = 33.
The International Astronomical Union (IAU) entitled the asteroid (27533) Johnbrucato 2000 - HP70