A Malaysian woman walks past an advertisement outside a jewellery store at a shopping mall in Kuala Lumpur on August 25, 2015. Prices of crude oil and most other commodities rebounded in Asia on August 25 but stayed under pressure following a global sell-off sparked by the faltering economy in China, the world's top user of industrial metals and energy. Gold prices remained steady, boosted by prospects of increased demand due to its status as a safe haven in times of turmoil. (Photo by Manan Vatsyayana/AFP Photo)

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)

Inflatable dolls in the shape of ducks are seen in front of the National Congress during a protest against tax increases in Brasilia, Brazil, March 29, 2016. The campaign “I will not pay the Duck” is organized by the Federation of Industries of Sao Paulo (FIESP) and uses the duck symbol in reference to industries that pay high taxes. (Photo by Gregg Newton/Reuters)

In this July 29, 2021 file photo, the pillars of the massive Rosario-Victoria Bridge are exposed during a drought affecting the Parana River near Rosario, Argentina. At the port city of Santa Fe the river registered a level of 22 centimeters, the lowest in 50 years. (Photo by Victor Caivano/AP Photo/File)

Drinking from a helmet at a graduation ceremony held by the Military University of the Russian Defence Ministry at Moscow's Victory Park in Moscow, Russia on June 15, 2019. (Photo by Gavriil Grigorov/TASS)

Australian model Shanina Shaik arrives to attend the Givenchy Menswear Spring/Summer 2023 show as part of Paris Fashion Week, in Paris, on June 22, 2022. (Photo by AFP Photo/Stringer)

A Palestinian boy drinks water from a bucket near the site of his family's tented home, which according to Palestinians was dismantled by Israeli forces in Jordan Valley in the Israeli-occupied West Bank on February 2, 2021. (Photo by Raneen Sawafta/Reuters)

A Chesterfield Borough Police telephone operator tests a gasmask with built in earpiece and microphone. The telephone service is considered one of the most important links in the coordination of ARP operations and must remain operational during air raids, 12th April 1939. (Photo by Fox Photos/Hulton Archive/Getty Images)