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)

A group of tattooed women from the Muun tribe who inhabit the hills of the Arakan state. The design, known as the letter B-pattern, is common in the Mindat area. It is composed of dots, lines and occasionally circles, in February, 2015, in Myanmar, Burma. With spider webs, B-patterns and crossed lines painstakingly inked on their faces these stunning photographs show the tattooed women of Burma. French photographer Eric Lafforgue travelled to the Chin, Rakhine and Arakan states of northwestern Myanmar to capture the rare facial designs. (Photo by Eric Lafforgue/Barcroft Media)

Kika-evolution, 5, an Auguste clown, poses for a photo during Mexico’s 17th annual clown convention, La Feria de la Risa, in Mexico City, October 23, 2012. Approximately 500 clowns gathered at two local theaters in the capital city to exchange ideas, compete for laughs and show off their comedy performances. (Photo by Anita Baca/AP Photo)

A tattoo is displayed on the arm of a girl during Bandung Body Art Festival at in Bandung, West Java, on December 7, 2014. Upon its establishment in 2010, founders of the Bandung Body Art Festival sought to celebrate an art form that was once taboo and associated with criminals. Tattoos are now an increasingly acceptable part of Indonesia’s urban landscape, and the annual event this year continued its campaign with 45 tattoo artists offering their services for free at the Ganesha Cultural Center. (Photo by Rezza Estily/JG Photo)

Team Strong Silvers member Ngai Hin Kwok, 66, works out as teammate Ng Siu Chi, 57, watches at a stadium in Singapore March 15, 2015. Team Strong Silvers, is a group of senior citizens who train in calisthenics. The trio trains individually at least three times a week, and meets up for joint calisthenics at least twice a month. (Photo by Edgar Su/Reuters)

In this October 29, 2013 photo, Daniel smokes marijuana inside his apartment where he uses a hydroponics system to grow his weed in Mexico City. “I'm not a narco, dude. I just like to smoke”, said Daniel, who spoke on condition that his last name not be used because, he said, his home-grow operation is "super-illegal" despite being for personal use only. (Photo by Eduardo Verdugo/AP Photo)

A car made from parts taken from used vehicles is shown in street Hefei, Anhui Province in China, on Oktober 21, 2013. The machine, which reaches 60 km/h, is the brainchild of self-taught inventor Zhu Runqiang. (Photo by Reuters/China Daily)

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A dancer poses with a new installation of art by British graffiti artist Banksy painted on the front door of the Hustler Club in New York, October 24, 2013. Known for his anti-authoritarian black-and-white stenciled images, which have sold at auction for upwards of $2 million, the British street artist is treating New Yorkers to a daily dose of spray-painted art – while eluding the police and incurring the wrath of New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg. (Photo by Eric Thayer/Reuters)