China will strengthen collaboration with international partners in deep space exploration, said the China National Space Administration (CNSA) who released the lists of scientists authorized to join its lunar research as well as the invitation for its Mars sample-return mission on Thursday.
At a ceremony for Space Day of China held in Shanghai on Thursday, CNSA announced the results for loan of lunar samples returned by China's Chang'e-5 mission. A total of seven institutions from six countries gained the access. Five of them signed the loan agreement on site.
In addition, 10 moon exploration related projects were selected as the collaborative programs for Chang'e-8 mission.
"The event mainly focused on the distribution of samples from Chang'e-5 mission to international applicants. [Previously,] we invited experts to conduct a series of screenings on applications regarding their experimental schemes' scientificity and advanced level. Approved research and development institutions are able to gain the access to Chinese lunar samples. Currently, researches on lunar samples have entered a 'Chang'e era'," said Guan Feng, director of China National Space Administration’s Lunar Exploration and Space Engineering Center.
Meanwhile, CNSA announced opportunities for international cooperation on the Tianwen-3 Mars sample-return mission, inviting global partners to jointly advance Mars exploration and research, thereby expanding humanity's understanding of the red planet.
The agency also added that the Tianwen-3 spacecraft will allocate 20 kilograms of resources for international collaboration.
"Tianwen-3 is mainly for collecting samples from Mars and returning them to the earth. In this mission, we also hope to go to Mars with our international colleagues, conducting some macroscopic and large-scale scientific explorations," Guan said.
The Tianwen-3 spacecraft comprises a lander, an ascent vehicle, a service module, an orbiter and a return module, and it is equipped with six scientific payloads.
The spacecraft is expected to be launched around the year of 2028.
China strengthens int'l cooperation on space exploration via Moon, Mars missions
China strengthens int'l cooperation on space exploration via Moon, Mars missions
A toy shop owner in Los Angeles is worried playtime could be over for his business as the uncertainty brought by the Trump administration's tariff measures continues to disrupt supply chains and risks scaring away customers with higher prices.
Like many small U.S. businesses operators, Louis Calderon, who has been running Big Lou's Toys and Collectibles in Los Angeles for over 30 years, has been anxiously watching news reports as he looks for the latest updates about the unpredictable tariff situation.
Calderon said he has been carefully managing his overall purchases and doing all he can to pass down only the bare minimum of the cost increases to customers as he tries to protect his business from the uncertainty.
"All my distributors already told me that everything is going to go up in price. So, I have to be smart [about] what I buy and what I don't buy. I try to carry everything, but with tariffs going up - I try to be the lowest price possible, but I'm going to have to raise my prices, which is a bummer," he said.
Despite Calderon's best efforts, the reality is that price-sensitive customers are having to cut their overall spending, meaning it becomes increasingly unviable to splash the cash on non-essential items like toys.
"You know, the wages are not that high up here. It will be a little hiccup, yeah, it'll be a little hard because prices, they're already high," said Stephen Perez, a customer.
Though he has come through economic hardships in the past, Calderon said the current tariff turmoil has him worrying about the worst case scenario. He said the potential closure of his toy store means not only losing his source of income but will also destroy the long-standing connection he has established with loyal customers over the past three decades.
"I think that's the one thing that I'm worried about if we ever do close because of this, which hopefully won't happen -- I'm going to miss the interaction with people and how they come in here and they see their childhood. Honestly, that's what I'm going to miss the most," said Calderon.
For local customers who were raised up in the nearby community and have been fans of Calderon's store since their own childhoods, imagining the shop no longer being there is an unbearable thought. "This is the local one that I always came to as a kid, and that it's still open means a lot to me because you could always buy toys on Amazon and stuff like that. But finding vintage toys and stuff that you can't find on the Internet, this is one of the best places you can come to," said Perez.
LA toy shop owner worries playtime could be over as tariff uncertainty pushes up prices
