"Because it is there." George Mallory aptly summed up the reason mountaineers worldwide respond to the irresistible pull of Mount Everest. On May 29, 1953, New Zealander Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay of Nepal were the first to complete the hazardous trek to the summit of the world's highest mountain, rising 29,035 feet above sea level. Scaling Everest is more than a climb: it is the ultimate destination for mountaineers. GeoEye-1 .50-meter resolution collected 21 November 2009. Stunning larger imagery at GeoEye. Note: This image was taken 6 months after astronaut Scott Parazynski reached the summit.

@Astro_Ron: #FromSpace A lake in the Tibetan Plateau I think it's the highest + largest plateau on Earth Anyone know if true? larger image

Note: This video was sent to me by a reader after they read my original article: "Here's what you may have seen this morning - the Shuttle Endeavour leads the ISS, at about 4:50am (EDT) this morning. This handheld video was taken with my Canon S5-IS, with a maximum 12X optical zoom. It may not be "broadcast quality" but is presented as a tribute to the last flight of Space Shuttle Endeavour.- Michael Kowalchuk Ferdinand, IN"

Researchers from the German Aerospace Center (DLR) have depicted Mount Everest, the 'Roof of the World', in 3D using optical satellite data at a maximum resolution of just half a meter. These 3D images are the outcome of a collaborative venture between the DLR Institute of Robotics and Mechatronics and the companies 3D RealityMaps GmbH and DigitalGlobe. A video allows the viewer to follow the route taken by 15 mountaineers on a current expedition to the summit of the world's highest mountain. Higher resolution views.

Keith's note: Two years ago on 19 May 2009 Scott Parazynski became the first human to travel into space and stand atop the highest point on our planet. While Scott was standing in the jetstream, this is how I relayed the news via satellite phone at 4:35 am local time from a comparatively mild location at 0 degrees F at Everest Base Camp. Meanwhile, Miles O'Brien was our lifeline back to the real world and was sitting in his laundry room in New York. It does not take a lot of money to convey exploration from remote places - just determination and a compelling, personalized story to make it work. More about Scott's exploits and the aftereffects here.

Photo taken 4/24/11 @ 10:47am GMT. Larger image From @Astro_Ron (Ron Garan)