Reach out to the stars! Share the results of ESA's XMM competition with Guardians of the Millennium.

ESA's X-ray Multi-Mirror telescope XMM will be launched on 10 December 1999 onboard an Ariane-5 launcher from Europe's Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana. To share the adventure of this telescope, ESA organised three contests for schools in its Member States covering three age ranges. The 8 to 12 year-olds had to draw a telescope. One drawing per Member State was selected and included in the official XMM mission logo. A huge 2x2m sticker displaying the drawings will be placed on the fairing of the Ariane launcher. A representative of each winning class will be invited to attend the launch. The 13 to 15 year-olds had to write an essay on space-based astronomy and its benefits for humanity. The winners, one class per Member State, will be invited to visit the Guiana Space Centre to witness the final launch preparations. Final-year classes had to submit an observation project involving the XMM telescope. One project per Member State will be selected and tried out in practice in 2000 at a student summer camp.

On 10 December 1999, Europe's biggest launcher, Ariane-5, will lift off from Kourou, French Guiana. On board will be XMM, ESA's X-ray Multi-Mirror telescope, which can detect more X-ray sources than ever previously possible. 10 metres long and weighing over 3 tonnes, XMM will orbit the Earth thousands of kilometres away and observe distant places in the universe where temperatures soaring to millions of degrees generate X-ray sources. By detecting these invisible sources, XMM may help find out whether black holes really exist.

ESA wanted others to share in this unique European adventure and therefore invited winners of its "Draw me a telescope" contest to attend the launch. The 14 winners, representing its Member States, had their drawings included in the official mission logo for Ariane-5. That logo is set to be unveiled on the launch day, just before lift-off into space! The winners, one class per Member State, of ESA's essay competition on describing the benefits of space-based astronomy for humanity were offered the possibility to visit the Guiana Space Centre to see the final launch preparations. Final-year classes from all over Europe submitted observation proposals for the XMM telescope. The best projects will be tried out in practice during a student summer camp in 2000. Hands-on experiments for tomorrow’s scientists!

Sharing today's space adventures while shaping the future of Europe in space – these were the aims of ESA’s three XMM contests for young Europeans. The winning drawings and essays will be on the Internet after the launch, the winning observation projects by the end of the year. We invite you to take a look at the dedicated website. Discuss the XMM adventure with the actual participants and others! Be part of it! Share it with us!

Click here to go to ESA's XMM website!

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