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Sigmund Jähn, the first German in space •
GDR Photo of S. Jähn
"On 26th August 1978, when the space ship
Soyuz 31 took off from the
Baikonur Cosmodrome, a citizen of the GDR (German Democratic Republic) became a megastar despite himself: it was Sigmund Jähn. Anyone who was able to follow the 189 hour space flight from 26th August to 3rd September 1978 will remember the great surge of excitement as if it were only yesterday.
The first German in space! The development of Jähn’s career followed a normal, though not quite every day path in the GDR. Sigmund was born on 13th February 1937 in the Vogtland, the son of a sawmill worker and a seamstress. As a youngster, Jähn originally wished to be an engine driver or a forester, but then learned the printing trade. In 1955 he volunteered for the armed forces, passed out of the officer training school and became a pilot (1958) and leader of a fighter squadron (1963). He studied at the Soviet Military Academy at Monino near Moscow (1966 to 1970) and from 1970 onwards he held various positions of responsibility in the East German Air Force. How did the flying Vogtlander get into space travel? In July 1976 the Soviet Union invited the socialist states that were involved in the
Intercosmos programme to take part in manned flights to the Salyut Space Station. Two months later, on 14th September 1976, it was decided to carry out manned Intercosmos missions over a five-year period from 1978 to 1983.
The costs incurred were largely borne by the Soviet Union. The participating states were to upgrade the equipment of the Salyut Space Station by means of challenging national scientific experiments and high-value on-board equipment. Immediately after this decision was taken, the GDR started to look for suitable candidates. Important selection criteria were: fighter pilot, unlimited flying capabilities and knowledge of Russian. In October 1976. 16 fighter pilots were selected from the National People’s Army as cosmonaut candidates. At the Institute for Space Medicine in Königsbrück near Dresden, the candidates for space travel were again weeded out. From now on the short-list got progressively smaller. Four out of the original 16 flew to Moscow for the final selection in November 1976.
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Baikonur Cosmodrome
- The Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan is the launch complex where Sputnik 1, Earth's first artificial satellite, was launched. The rocket that lifted Yuri Gagarin, the first human in orbit, was also launched from Baikonur. In fact, all Russian crewed missions are launched from Baikonur, as well as all geostationary, lunar, planetary and ocean surveillance missions. All space station flights using Russian launch vehicles will be launched from Baikonur. Baikonur is also the only Russian launch site capable of launching the Proton launch vehicle, which was used for Zarya, the first element launch of the ISS. (
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These were Rolf Berger, Eberhard Golbs, Sigmund Jähn and Eberhard Köllner. After the final short list in the GDR, the first Russian selection procedures started. At astronaut city near to Moscow Soviet specialists in space medicine, psychology and education at the Yuri Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Centre carried out two weeks of intensive tests and trials with the candidates. On 4th December the result was obtained: Sigmund Jähn and Eberhard Köllner went through to the decisive next round. Both were fully aware that only one of them would be able to realise his dream of space flight. However who that was to be was not decided until just before the actual launch. Almost 20 months of training to become fully-fledged cosmonauts had already begun on 6th December 1976. Together with their Soviet commanders they formed two teams who went through the training in parallel: Valery Bykovski with Sigmund Jähn and Victor Gorbatko with Eberhard Köllner. It was clear from this that the decision on who was to fly would not be made between individuals but between the two teams. The moment of truth came the day before lift-off.
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Russia's former Salyut Space Station
On the evening of 25th August 1978 the State Commission announced the crew and reserve crew for the flight of Suyuz 31. On the next day Sigmund Jähn who was 1.72 m tall went down in the annals of space travel as the 90th astronaut in the world, Intercosmonaut No. 3 and the first German in the space. The rest is history. When the reunification came in 1990 citizen Jähn was discharged. People jealous of his position tried to make his life difficult with patently invented claims. That was not prejudicial to his popularity. On the contrary, despite cosmic flight and earthly disturbances, he always remained what he was: a lovable, straightforward, simple man of the people without any of the airs and graces of stardom, who never lost the gift of wonderment and joy in the many small pleasures in life.
He was a “just a normal person”, genuine and unassuming. That was also how the public saw him. However in the public relations field he had an ambivalent relationship with the public. He appeared only to accept honours if they could not be avoided. If it were up to him, his anniversary would not be celebrated. Anxiety about “cashing in”, modesty, or perhaps both? After reunification his abilities were in demand as an interpreter, trainer and adviser on European space flights with German and European astronauts to the Russian Space Station MIR. All the “newcomers” went through the Jähn school. He quickly advanced to become one of the best-known in both East and West and most indispensable mediators, an esteemed “man for all seasons” in all conceivable questions involving space.
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The first Romanian in space (1981)
Sigmund Jähn is one of the joint founders of the international association of astronauts who have orbited the earth, the ASE, which provides a platform for a world wide exchange of information among this small but important group. Today the “Nestor” of German manned space flight has established a permanent place not only in the new Germany but also in a Europe that is growing ever more integrated. Sigmund Jähn, this former citizen of the GDR has become an institution for space travel and humanity, acknowledged equally by both East and West. Since lst March 2002 Sigmund Jähn has been officially retired. However anyone who knows him, also knows that retirement is not for Sigmund. Not only his wife and two daughters but his four grandsons also will see to that. His advice and mediation services between earth and the cosmos are still in demand. -- Torsten Gemsa
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The first West German in space, five years after S. Jähn (1983)
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