---
author: Eric Wagoner
date: '1999-12-10T12:43:11'
draft: false
title: The European Space Agency has
---

The [European Space Agency](http://www.esa.int/) has a successful launching of an Ariane 5 rocket bearing the [XMM Telescope](http://www.estec.esa.nl/spdwww/xmm/factsheet.html). This telescope, named the X-Ray Multi Mirror, could be as important to astronomy as the Hubble Space Telescope (currently inoperational, with the Space Shuttle repair mission [delayed yet again](http://www.cnn.com/1999/TECH/space/12/09/shuttle.delay.ap/index.html)). Besides the X-Ray receiver, there are optical instruments on board as well. I do take issue with the following line: _with its sensitive cameras it will see infinitely more than any previous X-ray satellite_. "Infinite" is a mighty big word to be throwing around, especially in the space sciences.