Ulf Merbold, the first German astronaut, after a familiarization flight at Jagdbombergeschwader 34 Ulf Merbold became the first non-American to fly on the Space Shuttle during the STS-9 mission (November 28, to December 8, 1983) In 1984 he was involved in the Space Shuttle Spacelab German D-1 mission. copyright © Peitzmeier archive