South China Morning Post isn’t an amazingly trustworthy source, but it seems that they’re right in this instance. Though it’s annoying that they refuse to fully capitalise “NASA”.
However, the approval is by no means formal. There’s no public statement from NASA or from NSPIRES, the division responsible for it, and it appears it’s just an internal email/statement telling scientists to put a claim in before the applications close on 22 Dec. As of yet, NASA have merely signalled their intent to Congress and told scientists to submit applications, it could well be that (the Republican controlled) Congress blocks it.
Here’s another source: https://www.space.com/china-moon-samples-change-5-nasa-researchers
Republican controlled congress? They lead one chamber by a margin a 3 votes. Not really what I’d call control.
When your objective is obstruction then that’s all you need.
Though it’s annoying that they refuse to fully capitalise “NASA”.
Not nearly as annoying as people who randomly capitalize three-letter words like cis or app.
The Chang’e-5 samples originate from regions of the moon not yet sampled by NASA and are expected to provide valuable new scientific insight on the geological history of the moon, which could provide new understanding of the Earth-moon system and potentially inform NASA’s future lunar exploration plans. Applying for samples will ensure that United States researchers have the same research opportunities as scientists around the world
