Aboard the Soviet Soyuz 31 spacecraft, Sigmund Jähn (pictured) became the first German in space.

Soyuz 31 was a 1978 Soviet crewed space flight to the Salyut 6 space station. It was the seventh mission to and sixth successful docking at the orbiting facility. The Soyuz 31 crew were the second to visit the long-duration Soyuz 29 resident crew.

Sigmund Werner Paul Jähn was a German pilot, cosmonaut, and Generalmajor 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.