Aug 28 1978
From The Space Library
Soyuz 31, carrying East Germany's first cosmonaut and a Soviet commander, had docked with the Salyut 6 space station, the Washington Post reported. The USSR had launched Soyuz 31 Aug. 26 at 17:51 Moscow time. Sigmund Jahn of East Germany and Valery Bykovsky had joined the Soyuz 29 cosmonauts who had been circling earth in the space station since June 16. Tass said the crew was well and had begun implementation of tasks assigned to them. It added that the launch of Soyuz 31 had been part of the preparations for an historic event, the 30th anniversary of the creation of the first German socialist state. The flight had been intended as an example of the use of space for peaceful purposes, based on "disinterested international cooperation and comradely mutual assistance." (W Post, Aug 27/78, A 21; FBIS, Tass in English, Aug 26/78)
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