Liu Yang the first Chinese woman to fly into space. Ms Liu first joined the People’s Liberation Army Air Force in 1997 and has flown 1,680 flying hours since then. On China’s Tencent QQ messaging service, she goes by the name “little Flying Knight”.

“From day one I have been told I am no different from the male astronauts,” Ms Liu was quoted by state broadcaster CCTV as saying before her assignment was announced.

Liu Yang also once said,

“As a pilot, I flew in the sky. Now that I am an astronaut, I will fly in space. This flight will be much higher and further away.”