On this day in space! Aug. 26, 1978: Sigmund Jähn becomes 1st German in space
On Aug. 26, 1978, cosmonaut and pilot Sigmund Jähn became the first German to fly in space. Here's why it mattered.
On August 26, 1978, Sigmund Jähn made history as the first German astronaut to journey into space. A seasoned pilot from the East German Air Force, Jähn honed his skills at the Gagarin Air Force Academy in the Soviet Union during the 1960s. In 1976, he was one of two German pilots chosen for the Interkosmos program, aimed at assisting the Soviet Union's allies with space missions.
Jähn embarked on the Soyuz 31 mission alongside three Soviet cosmonauts to the Salyut 6 space station. During his nearly eight-day stint in space, he captured images of Earth using a novel multispectral camera and carried out experiments in biology, physics, and materials science. Upon his safe return to Earth, Jähn's pioneering achievement marked one of the earliest instances of international collaboration in space exploration.
Written by urgent.news from Space.com's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
