XMM Newton: First Pictures Announcement

XMM, the world's largest and most powerful X-ray telescope, was launched from Kourou, French Guiana, on 10 December 1999, by an Ariane 5 launcher. The mission's scientific data is being received, processed and dispatched to astronomers by ESA's XMM Science Operations Centre in Villafranca, Spain. The first three images are to be displayed on 9 February 2000. The pictures will show parts of the sky never seen before in X-ray light. XMM has been renamed the XMM Newton Observatory by ESA scientists. This VNR provides an overview of XMM and the announcement of forthcoming XMM images. It contains two A-rolls with commentary in English and Spanish. The B-roll footage includes: XMM graphics; Ariane 5 launch of XMM; Control and Operations Centre, Darmstadt, Germany; XMM cleanroom footage; black hole animation; starfield animation; various images from Rosat German X-ray Observatory; various supernova remnants; expansion cloud from Supernova 1987A; various shots of XMM Science Centre, Villafranca, Spain, ESOC, Villafranca, Spain; interviews with Roger Bonnet (ESA Science Director), Robert Laine (XMM Project Manager) in English and French; interview with Daniel Ponz (XMM Science Centre) in Spanish; interview with Fred Jansen (XMM Project Scientist) in English; interview with Kieth Masen (Mullard Space Science Lab) in English. Full shotlist available.