Space Center Ready for Manned Spaceflight

Deep in the vast and mostly unpopulated Gobi Desert, China's launch base is quietly awaiting the country's first-ever manned space flight.

China is counting down to its first manned space flight, scheduled for sometime between Wednesday and Friday. A Long March II F carrier rocket stands at the site in the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre in Northwest China's Gansu Province.

A successful mission would make China only the third country to put a man into orbit, over four decades after the former Soviet Union and the United States accomplished the feat. Moreover, if things go according to plan, China will no doubt erupt in nationalistic celebration, while other countries, in particular the United States, might be prompted to inject some urgency into their own space programs.