Move over, astronauts – China’s newest space heroes are four mice with out-of-this-world names! The public has officially dubbed them Wangtian (Gaze at the Sky), Lanyue (Reach for the Moon), Zhuiyun (Chase the Clouds), and Zhumeng (Follow the Dream) 🌕✨. These furry pioneers traveled to China’s space station aboard the Shenzhou-21 spacecraft in October this year, beating 44 other mouse candidates for their stellar mission.
Over 1.2 million netizens voted on the names through Xinhua News Agency’s campaign, which also unleashed adorable cartoon versions of the mice – think ‘Space Jam’ meets lab coats 🧪🎨. After their 14-day cosmic adventure, the rodents returned safely to Earth in November, where scientists at the Chinese Academy of Sciences are now studying how space altered their biology. 🧬
‘This isn’t just about mice – it’s about preparing for human deep-space exploration,’ said researcher Li Tianda. The team is analyzing everything from stress responses to snack preferences (space cheese, anyone?).
Want to meet these celestial rodents IRL? Head to Beijing’s National Zoological Museum before January 28 for the ‘Flying Mice’ exhibit – your ticket to understanding how China’s space program is solving mysteries of mammalian survival in zero gravity! 🎟️👩🚀
