Ex-cosmonaut Sigmund Jähn died
He was the first German to go into space
On Saturday September 21, Sigmund Jähn, the first German cosmonaut to go to Space died at 82 years of age. He went to the cosmos aboard Soyuz in 1978 along with Valerij Fëdorovič Bykovskij to the Saljut 6 station. It was announced by the German Governing Council and the Aerospace Centre.
The mission lasted 7 days and during the 125 earth orbits multiple scientific experiments were carried out such as those for terrestrial remote sensing, material composition, crystal formation analysis, medical and biological tests, analysis of the effects caused by the absence of gravity, verification of the sensitivity of the space station crew's hearing. Experiments that in part are also now repeated with modern instruments by the current astronauts (see AVIONEWS).
After finishing elementary school in 1951 he carried out military service in the Air Force and then became a flight controller in the bases stationed in Germany. From 1966 to 1970 he studied at the "JA Gagarin" academy in Monino near Moscow. From 1970 to 1976 Jähn carried out the profession of inspector of training for aspiring fighter aircraft pilots and for flight safety within the High Air Command. Starting from 1976 he was prepared for flight in space under the "Intercosmos" program. In 2001 the asteroid "17737" was named in his honor.
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