Sigmund Jähn Status: Deceased 2/13/1937 – 9/21/2019 Nationality: German Type: Government Agency: Russian Federal Space Agency (ROSCOSMOS) Sigmund Werner Paul Jähn (born 13 February 1937) is a German cosmonaut and pilot, who in 1978 became the first German to fly in space as part of the Soviet Union’s Interkosmos programme.