Wang tests the satellite phone before setting out for the training. (Xinhua photo/Chen Bin)
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-10 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-10 spacecraft in 2013.
"The toughest part of the training is the harsh environment. Sometimes it was so windy and dusty that we couldn't see each other even they were just a few meters away," she said.
