'The ticket changed my destiny'

The training equipment provides services for passengers to make sure they are physically qualified to fly in space.[Photo provided to China Daily]

The banker is no stranger to TV. She appeared on China's popular dating program Take Me Out in 2012. "I tried to find my partner on the show, so we could go to the South Pole together," she says. "But I failed."

Tong is planning a reality TV show of her own. Jiangsu TV plans to broadcast I Want to Go to Space this year, she says. A thousand contestants from around the world, including 30 Chinese, will compete in various challenges, and the winner will receive a ticket to space.

When Tong traveled to the South Pole, she planted the flag of the prestigious Tsinghua University, where she earned her master's in business administration. After the school's alumni association learned she was planning to travel to space, they agreed to ask 100,000 members to pool money to pay for her ticket if she'd bring the flag.

But she hasn't accepted any offers yet. While she is in space, Tong says she will write wishes for her mother to recover from her illness and a note saying: "I love you, Mom."

"I've thought carefully about what I'll do in space," Tong says.

Tong aims to educate teens about spaceflight, and wants to raise money for a museum dedicated to the industry. "I believe space flights will be as common as expeditions to the poles in 10 or 20 years," she says.

Tong hopes to train people planning to take private spaceflights, teaching them basic spaceship safety.

About a dozen classmates from Tong's other school - the Beijing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, where she earned her bachelor's in finance - have formed a volunteer support team for her flight.

"They come from different fields, such as airspace engine research, space technology and flight reliability," she says. "They'll offer consultations on my health, safety and the like."

Galactic getaway

While Tong meets the health requirements for the trip, which are lower than those for astronauts, she has started boxing training three times a week to ensure she's in peak condition.

"I want to increase my body's ability to withstand strong g-forces when returning to Earth," she says.

She has also started training for weightlessness and reads books about piloting aircraft. "I force myself to study for about an hour a day," she says, even though it's not required.