Eberhard Köllner (born 29 September 1939 in Stassfurt, Germany) was selected for

Soyuz 31 Soyuz 31 (, ''Union 31'') was a 1978 Soviet Union, 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- ...

as the backup for

Sigmund Jähn Sigmund Werner Paul Jähn (; 13 February 1937 – 21 September 2019) was a German Aircraft pilot, pilot, cosmonaut, and ''Generalmajor#Generalmajor in East Germany, Generalmajor'' (equivalent to a Brigadier General in Western armies) in the Nat ...

. He later became the Director of the Airforce Academy of the

German Democratic Republic East Germany, officially known as the German Democratic Republic (GDR), was a country in Central Europe from Foundation of East Germany, its formation on 7 October 1949 until German reunification, its reunification with West Germany (FRG) on ...

in the rank of an ''

Oberst ''Oberst'' () is a senior field officer rank in several German language, German-speaking and Scandinavian countries, equivalent to Colonel. It is currently used by both the Army, ground and air forces of Austria, Germany, Switzerland, Denmark, a ...

'' ("Colonel"), following the reunion of Germany he refused to be transferred to the (West) German ''

Bundeswehr The (, ''Federal Defence'') are the armed forces of the Germany, Federal Republic of Germany. The is divided into a military part (armed forces or ''Streitkräfte'') and a civil part, the military part consists of the four armed forces: Germ ...

''. He is currently working in private industries.

References

External links

Spacefacts biography of Eberhard Köllner
1939 births Living people People from Staßfurt German astronauts 20th-century German explorers Luftstreitkräfte officers {{astronaut-stub