  In the introduction we give the main characteristics of the Swift mission
outlining how the design was driven by the science goals and by the heritage we
got from the Italian - Dutch satellite Beppo SAX. We show some of the new
characteristics of the X - ray light curves that became evident soon after we
obtained the first set of data. In addition to the early phase steep slope
afterglow discovered by Swift, we discuss the frequently observed GRB flares
and the first localization of a short burst.
