Feb 16, Kathmandu- The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has released a photo of Mount Everest taken from space nearly 30 years ago.

The image, released this week, was taken by the crew of the Space Shuttle Columbia on November 30, 1996, during the STS-80 mission.

The image shows Mount Everest at an altitude of 8,848 meters and several glaciers. Mount Everest is located to the left of the English alphabet "V"-shaped valley.

According to NASA, the STS-80 mission, the last shuttle flight of 1996, achieved its main achievement by successfully launching, operating and returning to Earth two independently flying research vehicles.