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Sigmund Jähn[edit]

Sigmund Jähn
Sigmund Jähn, 1978
Born
Sigmund Werner Paul Jähn

(1937-02-13)13 February 1937
Morgenröthe-Rautenkranz, Saxony, German Reich
StatusDeceased
Died21 September 2019(2019-09-21) (aged 82)
Strausberg, Brandenburg, Germany
NationalityGerman (DDR)
OccupationPilot
Awards
Space career

Interkosmos Cosmonaut
Rank Major General, Air Forces of the National People's Army
Time in space
7d 20h 49m
Selection1976 Intercosmos Group
MissionsSoyuz 31/Soyuz 29
Mission insignia

Sigmund Werner Paul Jähn (German: [jɛ:n]; 13 February 1937 – 21 September 2019) was a German pilot, cosmonaut, and achieved the rank of Major General in the National People's Army of the GDR. He was the first German to fly into space as part of the Soviet Union's Interkosmos program in 1978.

Early life[edit]

Jähn was born on February 13, 1937 in the town of Morgenröthe-Rautenkranz, located within the Vogtland region of Saxony, Germany[1]. His father, Paul Jähn, was a sawmill worker, and his mother, Dora Jähn, was a housewife[2]. Sigmund attended grade school from 1943 to 1951 and then trained in an apprenticeship program as a book printer from 1951 to 1954[3]. Shortly after the apprenticeship, he worked as a Pioneer Leader at the Hammerbrücke Central School.

Replica of Opel RAK rocket cars, bikes, and aircraft, originally demonstrated in the 1920s

On April 26, 1955, Jähn enlisted into the predecessor of the East German Army in the town of Preschen and eventually worked his way into the East German Airforce. He finished basic training in 1956, enrolling into the Officer's School in Kamenz, and was sent to flight school in the town of Bautzen, which would later become it's own Officer's School for military pilots. Jähn returned to his squadron, the Jagdfliegergeschwader 8, or Fighter Aviation Squad 8, two years later and remained there in until 1960, when he and his team were relocated one last time to Marxwalde. During his flight career, he saved himself from crashing by ejecting from the Mig-17 he was piloting[4]. He worked as the Deputy Commander for Political Affairs in his squadron from 1961 to 1963, then headed the Air Tactics/Air Combat division until 1965. At the same time, Jähn passed his Abitur and was sent to the J.A. Gagarin Air Force Academy in Monino, just outside of Moscow, Russia. Between 1970 and 1976, he was an inspector for fighter-pilot training and flight safety under the Deputy Head of the LSK/LV for Air Force Training of the Kommando LSK/LV.

Jähn achieved the rank of Lieutenant Colonel and was selected for the Soviet Union's Interkosmos cosmonaut training program in November 1976, alongside three other candidates (Eberhard Köllner, Rolf Berger, and Eberhard Golbs). Jähn and Köllner were selected out of the three candidates to be included in the first Interkosmos group[1]. In addition to Jähn's previous flying experience and expertise with the Russian language, he was selected for his early entry into the SED[1] program and his success coming from blue collar background.

Space Career[edit]

Training[edit]

Jähn and Köllner began training together in 1976, with Köllner serving as his backup pilot. The two candidates spent the next two years conducting mission-specific training and their physical health was closely monitored by physicians at the NVA's Institute for Aviation Medicine in preparation of their upcoming flight[5].

Soyuz 31 Mission[edit]

On August 26, 1978, Jähn and his co-pilot, Valery Bykovsky flew aboard the Soyuz 31 to the Soviet space station Salyut 6. The two men were greeted by resident cosmonauts Vladimir Kovalyonok and Aleksandr Ivanchenkov who arrived during the Soyuz 29 mission. Jähn's flight lasted 7 days, 20 hours, 49 minutes, and 4 seconds - orbiting Earth 124 times. During the mission, he conducted numerous scientific experiments. These included technical experiments with the MKF-6 multispectral camera for remote sensing of the Earth's surface, material science experiments on crystallization, like the formation, recrystallization, and the cultivation of a monocrystal. He also conducted medical experiments on how weightlessness affects speech, occupational psychological studies, testing the hearing sensitivity of regular crew members, biological experiments on cellular growth under weightlessness, and the connection between microorganisms with organic polymers and inorganic substances.

Among the advanced scientific equipment on board, the two cosmonauts carried mementos from home. Jähn brought a figurine of Das Sandmännchen, a well-known East German television character at the time, and Bykovsky brought a Misha doll, a character from a Soviet-era children's book series. They even broadcasted a wedding between the two characters, which became controversial among East German and Soviet media outlets[6].

The Soyuz 31 remained docked to the Salyut 6 station until the custom-made seats were transferred between both Soyuz craft, where it was then used as a return vessel for Kovalyonok and Ivanchenkov. Jähn and Bykovsky later returned in the Soyuz 29 craft.

Jähn received permanent damage to his spinal cord after an unexpectedly rough landing. Just a few yards from the ground, a gust of wind thrust the capsule back into the air, causing it hit the ground with increased momentum[7]. Jähn couldn't reach the capsule's parachute-release switch in time and was consequently dragged across the steppes where it landed, rolling over itself several times before coming to a stop.

Media Reception[edit]

The report on the space flight was prepared like a general staffing brief: on the morning of August 26, 1978, the editors in chief of the GDR radio stations and newspapers all received three sealed and numbered letters. Each one contained a different announcement depending on the outcome of the flight, whether it was successful, resulted in a fatal accident, or an emergency landing in enemy territory. The corresponding letter was only to be opened and published following a telephone call with specific instructions. After the mission was a success, the letters with the negative outcomes were then collected from the organizations[4].

Jähn's space flight was celebrated and covered extensively by GDR media outlets, since one of the smaller German states was home to the first German in space. On Sunday, August 27, 1978, Neues Deutschland published a special edition newspaper with the headline "The First German in Space - A Citizen of the GDR". Specifically using the word "German" in reference to a citizen of Germany was not usually used in the GDR media[8]. The Aktuelle Kamera also published numerous special programs about the mission[5].

Jähn was awarded the Hero of the GDR and the Hero of the Soviet Union medals in April, 1981, and a bust of the cosmonaut was unveiled in the Hain der Kosmonauten (trans. Hall of Cosmonauts) in front of the Archenhold Observatory in East Berlin. It was removed in 1990, though was later replaced with a new version in the Saxony State Statistical Office in February 22, 2008[9]. Some schools, recreational centers, street names, and the cargo ship Neptun 421 were named in honor of Jähn throughout his lifetime. The observatory in Rodewisch, Germany, where Sputnik 1 was first observed from Earth, was also renamed after Jähn in 1979.

An exhibition dedicated to space flight and aeronautics was constructed in the former train station of his home town Morgenröthe-Rautenkranz. This exhibit received multiple additions between 1991 and 1992, and the name was formally changed to The German Space Exhibition. Since 2007, the expanded sections have been housed in a newer building not far from the original location. Furthermore, a 4.5m (~14.8ft.) memorial was erected in the same town to commemorate the first German cosmonaut in space[10].

Jähn's portrayal in the 2003 film Good Bye, Lenin![11] became well known. Stefan Walz plays a taxi driver who looks very similar to Jähn and embodies the cosmonaut within the events of the film. In a fictional report by the Aktuelle Kamera, alongside a reproduction of the original recordings of the wedding between Das Sandmännchen and Masha, Jähn was supposedly appointed chairman of the State Council of the GDR in 1990 and opened their borders to West Germany.

A group known as Mitteldeutscher Rundfunk organized a themed event for his 80th birthday. It aired as part of a special television program "Sigmund Jähn and the Heroes of the Stars" on the nights of February 12th and 13th, 2017[].

In an interview with Der Spiegel 30 years after his space flight, Jähn commented: "But the celebratory reports weren't music to my ears; I didn't want to be made into a folk hero. (. . .) I found the spotlight more strenuous than traveling in space."[12]

Die Zeit stated in 2018: "To this day, many West Germans do not know the first German in space. (. . .) Conversely, all former GDR citizens know who Sigmund Jähn is."[1]

Later Career[edit]

Jähn was promoted to colonel in 1978 following the success of the Soyuz 31 space flight and was subsequently promoted to Deputy Head of the Center for Cosmic Training within the Kommando LSK/LV[13]. He remained deputy head of the training center until 1990.

In 1983, Jähn received his doctorate of science in remote sensing of the Earth at the Zentralinstitut für Physik der Erde in Potsdam. He studied under the leadership of Karl-Heinz Marek, the department head for remote sensing at that time. Jähn's doctoral thesis, among other topics, was based on the scientific preparations and evaluations of various kinds of flight missions.

Jähn became one of the founding members of the Association of Space Explorers in 1985.

On March 1, 1986, Jähn was promoted to major general. Following the dissolution of the GDR on October 2, 1990[14], he was relieved from duty alongside the last remaining command staff of the NVA, like Major General Lothar Engelhardt and Admiral Theodor Hoffmann.

Jähn became a freelance consultant for the German Aerospace Center until 1993[15]. He then worked for the European Space Agency, or ESA following their ongoing projects with the Russian space agency Roscosmos in Zvyozdny Gorodok. He obtained this position with the support of his West German colleague Ulf Merbold and remained there for the following 15 years. The two had met in 1984 during a conference held in Salzburg[16].

He retired in 2002. In 2011, on the 50th anniversary of the first human space flight by Yuri Gagarin, he explained to Der Spiegel that taking the Das Sandmännchen toy on his flight was not a personal choice, but rather he took the figurine in order to film material for the show.

Private Life[edit]

Sigmund Jähn lived in Strausberg with his wife, Erika Hänsel, and two daughters, Marina and Grit[2]. He and his wife lived there until his passing on September 21, 2019, and was buried in the St. Mary's Protestant Cemetery in Strausberg.

When Sigmund returned from his space flight, he was greeted by his family with a picture of his grandson. This was ultimately concealed by GDR news stations because his role as a grandfather wouldn't have conformed to the desired image the space agency wanted to promote.

Commendations[edit]

Quotes[edit]

"Dear television viewers of the German Democratic Republic, I am very happy to be the first German to take part in this manned space flight."

— Sigmund Jähn, via radio transmission during his stay in space, 1978

The flight director's voice in the headphones sounded almost solemn: 'Podjom - climb!' At first it was as if thunder was thundering in the distance.The dull rumbling quickly got closer and closer. The rocket began to vibrate, as if trembling to get away from the crater of a volcano it was sitting on, as quickly as possible. I didn't see it from our capsule 50 meters above the earth, but eyewitnesses later told me about this unique spectacle. It looked like a fire-breathing dragon, emitting a sea of ​​flames and smoke.The rays from the five engines raged red, yellow, blue and violet. A fascinating sight. My heart rate was elevated. But this heart pounding wasn't fear, but rather stimulating. And what I saw then was total bliss: our earth covered in bright blue. Simply fantastic.

— Sigmund Jähn, in an interview with [Superillu] in 1998

As a pilot, I simply couldn't resist the offer to fly such a space capsule...

— Sigmund Jähn

Humans are so advanced, scientifically and technically, that they fly around the earth in spaceships. And on earth he smashes his head with the other one like in the Stone Age. It seems very vivid when you go around this small earth in 90 minutes.

— Sigmund Jähn, Documentary Sigmund Jähn - The first German in space on Mitteldeutscher Rundfunk

Publications[edit]

  • Erlebnis Weltraum. Military Publishing House of the GDR, Berlin 1983, ISBN 3-327-00710-1, 3rd unchanged edition, Berlin 1985.
  • Peter Frieß, Andreas Fickers (eds.): Ulf Merbold and Sigmund Jähn talk about the development of space travel in both parts of Germany during the Cold War and after reunification (= TechnikDialog. Issue 2). Deutsches Museum, Bonn 1993, OCLC 907718673 (the ISBN 3-924183-91-0 was assigned twice).

Literature[edit]

  • Sigmund Jähn: Erlebnis Weltraum, Militärverlag der DDR, Berlin 1985.
  • Horst Hoffmann: Sigmund Jähn. Der fliegende Vogtländer. Das Neue Berlin, Berlin 1999, ISBN 3-360-00848-0, (biography).
  • Horst Hoffmann: Die Deutschen im Weltraum. Zur Geschichte der Kosmosforschung und Raumfahrt in der DDR. Vorwort von Sigmund Jähn, Edition Ost, 1998, ISBN 3-932180-49-6.
  • Deutsche Reedereien, Band 23, DSR, Verlag G. U. Detlefsen, Bad Segeberg 1996.
  • Bordgeschichten II. DSR-Seeleute e. V. Freiberg & SGO Rostock, 2002.
  • 80. Geburtstag von Sigmund Jähn. In: FliegerRevue. Nr. 4/2017, S. 44–45.
  • Uwe W. Jack: Sigmund Jähn gestorben. In: FliegerRevue. Nr. 11/2019, S. 54–55.

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c d e Hensel, Jana (2018-08-22). "Sigmund Jähn: Warum ist dieser Mann kein Held?". Die Zeit (in German). ISSN 0044-2070. Retrieved 2023-11-15.
  2. ^ a b "Biografie von Sigmund Jähn (1937-2019) - Sächsische Biografie | ISGV e.V." saebi.isgv.de. Retrieved 2023-11-15.
  3. ^ "Diese Prominenten hatten Jobs in der Druckindustrie - print.de". web.archive.org. 2014-10-20. Retrieved 2023-11-15.
  4. ^ a b mdr.de. "Kosmonaut Sigmund Jähn | MDR.DE". www.mdr.de (in German). Retrieved 2023-11-16.
  5. ^ a b "East German Cosmonaut Sigmund Jähn: 'Capitalism Now Reigns in Space'". Der Spiegel. 2011-04-12. ISSN 2195-1349. Retrieved 2023-11-16.
  6. ^ "DDR-Fernsehen: Das Sandmännchen kam, sah und streute - WELT". DIE WELT (in German). 2020-09-21. Retrieved 2023-11-16.
  7. ^ "Held am Himmel". www.fr.de (in German). 2019-01-29. Retrieved 2023-11-16.
  8. ^ "Sigmund Jähn 80: »Rehabilitierung wovon?«". junge Welt (in German). Retrieved 2023-11-16.
  9. ^ Heimat DDR. Erlebnisse. Betrachtungen. Erkenntnisse. Dokumente, darin Gerhard Fiß: „Aus der Laudatio zur Wiederaufstellung der Büste Sigmund Jähns im Statistischen Landesamt des Freistaates Sachsen am 22. Februar 2008“ (Hrsg.): Horst Jäkel, GNN-Verlag Schkeuditz 2015, ISBN 978-3-89819-416-7, S. 353.
  10. ^ "Deutsche Raumfahrtausstellung Morgenröthe-Rautenkranz". web.archive.org. 2011-10-23. Retrieved 2023-11-16.
  11. ^ Zeitung, Süddeutsche (2010-05-17). "DDR-Bürger mit All-Erfahrung". Süddeutsche.de (in German). Retrieved 2023-11-16.
  12. ^ Angst schadet nur. Der erste Deutsche im All, Sigmund Jähn, über seine historische Reise, seinen Nachfolger Alexander Gerst und die Rolle des Kommandanten an Bord einer Raumstation, in: Der Spiegel, 2. Juni 2018, S. 100.
  13. ^ "Biografie von Sigmund Jähn". www.esa.int. Retrieved 2023-11-16.
  14. ^ "German reunification", Wikipedia, 2023-11-12, retrieved 2023-11-16
  15. ^ ""Sigmund Jähn: erster Deutscher im All"". Stuttgarter Nachrichten. Archived from the original on 28 September 2008.
  16. ^ Gerlach, Thomas (2019-09-23). Zum Tod von Sigmund Jähn: Hoch hinaus mit Bodenhaftung. Die Tageszeitung: taz. ISSN 0931-9085.
  17. ^ Lasch, Hendrik. "Im All geehrt, in Halle nicht". nd-aktuell.de (in German). Retrieved 2023-11-17.
  18. ^ Die Prinzen - Wer ist Sigmund Jähn?, retrieved 2023-11-17
  19. ^ "Website der Stadtverwaltung: Stadt Dommitzsch". www.dommitzsch.de. Retrieved 2023-11-17.
  20. ^ "Dr.-Sigmund-Jähn-Straße in Morgenröthe-Rautenkranz offiziell enthüllt | Freie Presse - Oberes Vogtland". www.freiepresse.de (in German). Retrieved 2023-11-17.
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