Using highly specialized, advanced digital satellite imaging—first made possible in the year 2000 with the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission—this book presents an astounding collection of images of the Earth’s mountain ranges carefully compiled over the course of five years by the German Remote Sensing Data Center. Now available to the public for the first time here, the most majestic peaks on all seven continents are visible as they never would be to the naked eye—in views taken from 500 to 15 miles above the Earth that reveal the entire mountain range at once, unobstructed by clouds, haze, and the refraction of light.Mountains from Space is much more than a collection of extraordinary pictures; it is a serious work of nonfiction about every important aspect of these fascinating geological formations, from their genesis by volcanic activity to their specific sociological features. Contributions by esteemed scientists and mountaineers alike highlight this provocative study of our planet Earth.

Professor Stephan Dech holds a teaching chair for remote exploration at the University of Wurtzburg. Rudiger Glasser is a climate researcher and holds the teaching chair for physical geography at the University of Freiburg. World-renowned mountaineer Reinhold Messner shares his unique perspective and experience along with other mountaineers like Stephen Venables, Christopher Profit, and Alexander Huber.