Sigmund Jähn

My Name is Sigmund Werner Paul Jähn (born February 13, 1937). I was the first German cosmonaut.I was born in Morgenröthe-Rautenkranz, Vogtland, Germany. From 1943 to 1951 I attended school in my hometown, and after school trained as a printer. In 1955 i joined the East German air force (the Luftstreitkräfte der NVA) where i became a pilot and military scientist. From 1966-1970 i studied at the Gagarin Military Air Academy in Monino, in the Soviet Union, and afterwards worked in the administration of the East German air force, responsible for pilot education and flight safety.In 1976 i was selected together with his later backup Eberhard Köllner to train as the first cosmonaut in the Intercosmos program. I trained in Star City near Moscow for the next two years, and finally flew on board Soyuz 31 to the Soviet space station Salyut 6, and returned with Soyuz 29. For this flight, i was celebrated as the first German cosmonaut, which is remarkable as in those days, both East and West Germany normally stressed that people who achieved similar deeds were citizens of their respective states. I spent 7 days, 20 hours, and 49 minutes in space.I was awarded the title Hero of the Soviet Union on September 3, 1978 [1] In 1983 i received a doctorate in physics at the "Zentralinstitut für Physik der Erde" in Potsdam, specialising in remote sensing of the earth.Starting in 1990, (after reunification) i worked as a freelance consultant for the (formerly West) German spaceflight agency DLR, and from 1993 also for the ESA to prepare for the Euromir missions. In 2002 he finally retired from this job.Sigmund Jähn is married and has two children. I enjoys reading and hunting.Asteroid 17737 was named Sigmund Jähn in 2001.