China has sent its first woman into space on a mission to dock with an orbiting station, the latest step in an ambitious programme to go to the moon and on to Mars.

Photo: China's first female astronaut Liu Yang, waves during a sending off ceremony before she departs for the Shenzhou 9 spacecraft rocket launch pad at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in Jiuquan, China, Saturday, June 16, 2012. China will send its first woman and two other astronauts into space Saturday to work on a temporary space station for about a week, in a key step toward becoming only the third nation to set up a permanent base in orbit. (Photo by Ng Han Guan/AP Photo)

In this photo taken on Saturday, April 22, 2017, a drawing “King for a day” is made on the back of a muddy truck by artist Nikita Golubev in Moscow, Russia. The grimy trucks traversing the polluted and dusty streets of Moscow have inspired Golubev to use white vans and trucks as his canvas to create this ephemeral street art and signs his drawings Pro Boy Nick. (Photo by Pavel Golovkin/AP Photo)

Videographer Jay Baron, from Utah, spends up to nine hours cooking super small dishes and serving them up to his YouTube audience. The tiny portions feature cuisine from all over the world, from ultra-American apple pie to Japanese ramen. The 22-year-old confines himself to cooking in a 2ft by 2ft box, so the only heat he can use comes from a tea light. Here: Jay cooks the ingredients of the tiny spaghetti on the tiny stove. (Photo by Jay Baron/Caters News)

It’s enough to make your head spin. The photographer Katherine Young set out to shoot spiral staircases in London, England to great effect, including this shot she calls the Downward Spiral Part III. (Photo by Katherine Young/Rex Features/Shutterstock)

In this May 2, 2015 photo, skywriter Nathan Hammond releases smoke as he writes messages of hope and love over New Orleans, during the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival. Hammond was commissioned by local entrepreneur, Frank Scurlock, who said the messages were simply his way of reminding people that goodness can still flourish in a world that seems increasingly marred by violence. (Photo by Gerald Herbert/AP Photo)

Two women wearing bejewelled bras kiss during the annual Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras festival in Sydney, Australia March 4, 2017. (Photo by Jason Reed/Reuters)

People celebrate the traditional Fiesta de las Aguedas on February 6, 2022 in Andavias, Zamora, Castilla y Leon, Spain. This celebration, also known as “El dia de las mujeres”, is a deep-rooted tradition in Castilla y Leon, especially in rural areas. The day of the Aguedas has its origin in the cult of Santa Agueda, and is celebrated every February 5. (Photo By Emilio Fraile/Europa Press via Getty Images)

A male green anole lizard flares his throat fan in a backyard in Cary, North Carolina on April 27, 2021. This pink section is actually a thin flap of skin that hangs down below the green anole's throat. Anoles are renowned for their displays in which they do pushups, bob their heads up and down, and unfurl their colorful dewlaps. The male anole uses it for two primary purposes: to protect his territory and attract a mate. (Photo by Bob Karp/ZUMA Press Wire/Alamy Live News)