Mountains from space
"Mission Earth" is the motto of the German space programme. Science and high technology combine for the benefit of mankind with the aim of preserving the Earth's natural resources in the long term. In 2004, two worlds came together in which people go to the limits: Reinhold Messner met scientists from the German Aerospace Centre. The mountaineer and border crosser was mesmerised by mountain views that were new even to him: Mountains, mountain ranges - seen from space, photographed for research purposes and yet of unrivalled beauty. This is how the idea for "Mountains from Space" was born.
Breathtaking satellite images offer revolutionary new views of our planet's mountains: A view of the entire Alpine arc from the north; the Matterhorn in a computer-calculated, astounding oblique shot; the entire Himalayan or Andean chain in one image; or a view of the Hawaiian Islands, including underwater contours. Nine scientific texts explain the geographical, geological, climatological, ecological and cultural-historical significance of the mountains. In addition, famous mountaineers such as Sir Edmund Hillary, Stephen Venables and Maurice Herzog report on their personal experiences in the mountain world, with a poetic and literary highlight by Christoph Ransmayr. A completely new look at the mountains that form the backbone of our continents and the most diverse habitats on our planet!
"Mountains from Space" is the second major book project after "Kunstwerk Erde" that DLR is producing as publisher with the publishing house Frederking & Thaler. The media partner is once again GEO magazine, in whose October 2005 issue a comprehensive background report on the project will appear. A multimedia presentation with Reinhold Messner will take place on 6 October 2005 in Munich's Reithalle. The book will be officially presented to the trade public at an exhibition at the Frankfurt Book Fair on 19 October 2005. A further event is planned for the ArtCologne on 27 October 2005.
The authors:
Stefan Dech is Professor of Remote Sensing at the University of Würzburg and Director of the German Remote Sensing Data Centre at DLR. The unique images in this book were created under his direction.
Reinhold Messner is the most famous mountaineer in the world; he was the first person to climb all fourteen eight-thousanders and Mount Everest without artificial oxygen.
Rüdiger Glaser is Professor of Geography at the University of Freiburg, where he heads the Institute of Physical Geography; he is an expert in climate history and wrote the scientific texts for this book.
Ralf-Peter Märtin is a journalist and author; his cultural history of Himalayan mountaineering "Nanga Parbat. Truth and Delusion of Alpinism" is considered a standard work.
Robert Meisner was head of the Marketing & Media department at DFD and is a specialist in scientific satellite data visualisation.
Christoph Ransmayr is one of the most renowned German-language writers; he became internationally recognised with his novel about the Austrian Arctic expedition "Die Schrecken des Eises und der Finsternis".
Stephen Venables is one of the most distinguished British alpinists; he was a member of the team of just four that managed to climb the East Face of Everest via a new route in 1988.
Sir Edmund Hillary achieved the first ascent of Mount Everest, the highest mountain on earth, together with Tenzing Norgay in 1953.
Alexander Huber is one of the most successful German free climbers; together with his brother, he has numerous records and first ascents to his name.
Oswald Oelz is a professor of medicine, experienced mountaineer and expedition doctor; he is regarded as the inventor of the Margherita cocktail for altitude sickness and
Maurice Herzog, known as "Monsieur Annapurna", is the French mountaineering legend.
Nils Sparwasser, Thorsten Andresen and Adelheid Craubner are scientists at DFD. They were responsible for the scientific preparation of the book's image data.
The publisher:
The German Aerospace Centre (DLR) is the largest aerospace engineering research institution and Germany's national space agency.