Editing Sigmund Jähn (section)

=== Soyuz 31 mission ===

On 26 August 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)|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 [[Single crystal|monocrystal]]. He also conducted medical experiments on how weightlessness affects speech, [[Industrial and organizational psychology|occupational psychological]] studies, testing the hearing sensitivity of regular crew members, biological experiments on cellular growth under weightlessness, and the connection between [[microorganism]]s 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 ''[[Sandmännchen|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 broadcast a wedding between the two characters, which became controversial among East German and Soviet media outlets.<ref>{{Cite web |date=21 September 2020 |title=DDR-Fernsehen: Das Sandmännchen kam, sah und streute |url=https://www.welt.de/fernsehen/article1335285/Das-Sandmaennchen-kam-sah-und-streute.html |access-date=2023-11-16 |website=[[Die Welt]] |language=de}}</ref>

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 injuries 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.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2019-01-29 |author-first=Jörg |author-last=Schindler |author-link=Jörg Schindler |title=Held am Himmel |url=https://www.fr.de/politik/held-himmel-11581985.html |access-date=2023-11-16 |trans-title=Hero in the Heavens|website=[[Frankfurter Rundschau]]|language=de}}</ref> Jähn couldn't reach the capsule's parachute-release switch in time and was consequently dragged across the [[steppe]]s where it landed, rolling over itself several times before coming to a stop. [[File:Interkosmos patch for GDR Cosmonauts.svg|thumb|upright=0.5|Jähn's national space patch from the air force of the [[National People's Army]]]]