A woman in no man's land: Wang Yaping's terrestrial taikonaut training

Not content with smashing the glass ceiling to reach outer space, Wang Yaping's next goal is clear. "My greatest wish is to go to space one more time, maybe even go to the moon," she said.

In order to return to the heavens, Wang must first prove she can survive here on earth in all kinds of hostile environments. This time, it was in the arid conditions of the Badain Jaran Desert, Northwest China.

Wang, 38, is fondly known as Taikong Jiaoshi, or "the space teacher" because of her televised science lesson from the Shenzhou X spacecraft in 2013.

With her signature ponytail and wide smile, she has become something of a household name since she delivered China's first space lecture to students on Earth on board the Shenzhou X spacecraft in 2013.