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Futuro Antico. Interview with Roberto Battiston
Jan 25, 2023
Marco Bassan
From music to antimatter, a wide-ranging discussion with Roberto Battiston, head of the Italian Space Agency from 2014 to 2018, ready to offer some advice on the future.
Who are your inspirational references in art?
I draw inspiration from music, which possesses an abstract structure while simultaneously being deeply rooted in reality, much like scientific activity. I play music myself, so I am familiar with its language. I have a deep appreciation for Vivaldi, Bach, and Mozart, as well as 1970s rock bands like Pink Floyd and Tangerine Dream.
I am particularly fascinated by artists who create music based on numerical and scientific sequences. For many centuries, the movements of the planets were interpreted as the "music of the celestial spheres," a hidden harmony within reality connected to harmonic resonances and mathematical-physical relationships.
What is the project that represents you the most? Can you tell us about its origins?
There are many, but I can mention two, one scientific and the other institutional.
The first is the AMS (Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer) project, which I developed with Nobel laureate Samuel C. C. Ting from MIT. We brought it to the International Space Station. This research seeks to answer fundamental questions such as: What is dark matter? What happened at the moment of the Big Bang? What is antimatter?
These issues touch on both the infinitely small and the infinitely large. It was therefore natural for us to develop an innovative research strategy, starting with the instrumentation used in CERN's underground accelerators, which evolved into the design of a complex instrument mounted on a shuttle and then on the International Space Station. It was an overwhelming experience. We reimagined the experiments we had been conducting at CERN in a completely different context—inside a shuttle orbiting at 27,000 kilometers per hour at over 450 kilometers above Earth.
And the second project?
It was the institutional journey that led me to become the president of the Italian Space Agency. A world bustling with astronauts, international relations, and investments to support the country's strategic sectors, where we focused on developing space diplomacy and exploring innovations in the new space economy.
I am proud to have held that role because many of the decisions made during that time continue to have positive effects today. In such positions, it is crucial to practice the delicate art of making strategic and visionary decisions while ensuring they are realistic and robust enough to endure over time. The selection of individuals for these roles should involve a process that includes candidates with the highest scientific and managerial profiles, based on competence rather than political affiliation. In its 35 years of history, ASI has had more commissioners and vice-commissioners (10) than presidents (9), blatantly violating any reasonable approach to institutional governance.
What importance does Genius Loci have in your work?
In the places of science, people are physically present, able to meet and exchange ideas in ways and at times that are difficult to plan. It is impossible to predict where ideas will be born, but a necessary condition is to create an environment that allows for discussion and collaboration.
In these working environments—laboratories, institutes, or research centers—the spark of innovation and discovery occasionally ignites, bringing with it profound consequences for society. Too often, however, this does not happen, and scientific activity becomes dominated by administrative practices that consume almost all of the researchers' time, leaving little room for actual research. Good research happens when talented researchers are placed in environments where they have freedom—in both methods and objectives. Without this, scientific work risks becoming routine, resembling the mechanical tasks of a patent office.
How important is the past for imagining and building the future?
It is essential, but it can also be a heavy burden. Great discoveries often come from young minds approaching a specific research topic for the first time. We have many examples, from the most famous like Galileo, Einstein, and Schrödinger, to lesser-known but equally significant figures. Bringing a mindset and opinions developed in different contexts allows freedom from the preconceptions that often hinder participants in scientific discussions from solving problems.
New generations always bring fresh and interesting ideas; innovation comes from them, and this will continue in the years to come. If we do not give those with fresh perspectives the opportunity to contribute when they are at their peak potential, we squander enormous resources and miss countless opportunities. At the same time, we must recognize that science is built on centuries of scientific progress. It requires the ability to work in large, often very complex teams to achieve goals through grand experiments, such as the discovery of the Higgs boson. In my view, science must develop a form of social organizational capacity.
What advice would you give to a young person who wants to follow in your footsteps?
The intense personal commitment required by scientific activity must be driven by genuine passion, which sustains us through the most challenging moments. Without this passion, it is difficult to maintain the necessary perseverance.
It is neither easy nor useful to try to describe in detail the unpredictable path that leads to becoming a scientist. Instead, it’s better to identify the ultimate goal: the joy of understanding how things work, as Feynman reminded us. I always recommend engaging with the best mentors, professors, and teachers. A few key insights from them can have a decisive impact over the years. As Carlo Rubbia said, a researcher is someone who, at four in the morning on an ordinary day, sees a data graph for the first time that no one else has ever seen. That moment justifies years of sacrifices, frustrations, academic battles, and countless other difficulties.
Set ambitious goals and dedicate yourself fully to making the most of your talents. This requires a balance of great humility mixed with strong ambition.
In an era defined as post-truth, does the concept of the sacred still hold importance and strength?
The fundamental questions about human existence and the meaning of things have not changed much over millennia. Science does not provide answers to these kinds of questions. At the same time, we live in a society where the background noise has become deafening. Over the past twenty years, spaces for silence, reflection, reading, and social interaction have been gradually absorbed by faster and more efficient communication systems, which now occupy an enormous portion of our time. This makes us, on average, deaf and blind to unresolved yet deeply significant issues. We have boarded a vast, glittering, and noisy carousel, spinning endlessly in a game of lights and stimuli where the space for the spiritual dimension has steadily diminished, and in some cases, even vanished. There is a real risk that younger generations will lose the words needed to express the deepest parts of themselves. When a need cannot be articulated, it surfaces in other, often unpredictable ways. These tensions disappear from view but continue to act beneath the surface.
How do you imagine the future? Can you give us three ideas that you believe will guide the coming years?
The future that awaits us will truly test the human species to see if we are truly "sapiens," as we have defined ourselves. Today, because of the speed and pace at which things are developing, we are surpassing the limits of our planet in ways that have never happened since the dawn of humanity. When an epidemic starts, it’s global; when there is a climate problem, it’s global. The rhythm of our planet beats in unison, regardless of whether countries agree on how to face the challenges ahead.
One example is ChatGPT, the artificial intelligence system that is entering our lives so quickly that we hardly even notice it. Not even a month after the launch of the site, Google is already showing signs of an imminent crisis. The founders, Brin and Page, have been called back to the company because it’s clear that this software is changing the way information will be delivered in the future. And if this is challenging Google, which has existed for only twenty years, it means the world is once again taking a new direction.
What do you hope for?
If I could, I would gift all human beings a ton of rational and scientific thinking, along with rigorous and effective methods to approach the reality around us.
Science is a powerful model of democracy, where groups of people united by a common goal can work together, for long periods of time, regardless of their ideologies and religions, developing transparent and efficient management practices. I know how difficult this challenge is: every statistic on this topic shows that a large portion of the population is "scientifically illiterate." There are surges in fake news because many people, unable to navigate the world of science, resort to myths, gossip, or even falsehoods.
The risk we face is one of conflict, where once again the strongest might prevail, using methods that have always been used in past confrontations, but this time adapted to the incredibly powerful tools of the future. We must fight in every way possible to avoid this scenario.