Wukong, Tiangong, Tianwen ... Do you know where the names of Chinese space programmes come from?
悟空、天宫、天问……你知道这些中国航天项目名称的由来吗？
The well-known moon mission Chang'e is named after a goddess who flew to the moon. This mission was important in studying the moon's surface.
著名的登月任务“嫦娥”就是以一位飞向月亮的仙女的名字命名的。这项任务在对月球表面的研究方面十分重要。
Wukong, the Dark Matter Particle Explorer, is named after a Chinese superhero--Monkey King. According to Journey to the West, Monkey King has a pair of sharp eyes which can tell the difference between good and evil. The Wukong satellite is just as sharp-eyed as Monkey King to help scientists search for dark matter in space.
“悟空”，即暗物质粒子探测卫星，是以中国的超级英雄美猴王的名字命名的。根据《西游记》，美猴王（孙悟空）有一双敏锐的眼睛，能辨出善恶之别。悟空号卫星就如同美猴王一样目光敏锐，能够帮助科学家在太空中寻找暗物质。
The name of the space station, Tiangong, means “Heavenly Palace”. In Chinese myths, this is the home of Tian Di. Now Tiangong Space Station is a home for Chinese astronauts in space.
空间站的名字“天宫”意为“天上的宫殿”。在中国神话中，这是天帝的家。现在，天宫空间站是中国航天员在太空中的家。
Tianwen, China's Mars mission, gets its name from the poem Tianwen by Qu Yuan. Qu Yuan is a well-known poet from ancient China. In Tianwen, he had the questions about the sky, stars, nature, myths and the real world, showing his hunger for truth. Perhaps the Tianwen missions will end up answering some of Qu Yuan's questions.
中国的火星任务“天问”取名于屈原的诗《天问》。屈原是中国古代著名的诗人。在《天问》中，他对天空、星辰、自然、神话和现实世界提出了疑问，展现了他对真理的渴求。也许“天问”任务最终能够回答屈原的一些问题。
If you look into more names of Chinese space programmes, you will find that they all have beautiful meanings. We, the Chinese people, have a long-cherished space dream. Therefore, the naming of Chinese space programmes is taken very seriously. Scientists, from junior members to experienced leaders, are also working hard to sweep away setbacks, without letting any challenges disappoint them. The names are like postcards to the world, showing our determination in space exploration.
如果你深入探究更多中国航天项目的名字，就会发现它们都蕴含着美好的寓意。我们中国人民怀揣着悠久的航天梦想。因此，我们对待中国航天项目的命名十分认真。科学家们，从基层成员到经验丰富的领导者，都在努力工作，消除障碍，不因任何挑战而感到挫败。这些名字就像寄往世界的明信片，展示了我们探索太空的决心。