Public chooses names for China's space-traveled mice

BEIJING, Dec. 27 (Xinhua) -- A research team from the Chinese Academy of Sciences revealed the names of the four mice, which were part of a recent mission aboard China's space station, during a public science event on Saturday.

The mice have been named Wangtian, Lanyue, Zhuiyun, and Zhumeng, which respectively translate to "gaze at the sky," "reach for the moon," "chase the clouds" and "follow the dream." The announcement was accompanied by the release of cartoon illustrations of the mice, co-created with Xinhua News Agency.

On Oct. 31, the four mice -- numbered 6, 98, 154 and 186 -- were chosen from 48 candidates and flown aboard the Shenzhou-21 crewed spacecraft to their temporary habitat in space. During the mission, Xinhua invited the public to propose names for the mice, with the final selections based on popular submissions online. ■