Name
the cluster quaret competition
Enter
the new XMM-Newton 'Stargazing'competition
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 tomorrows scientists!
Sharing
today's space adventures while shaping the future of Europe in space
these were the aims of ESAs 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!
Click
here for the results of the XMM competitions!