Is NASA Advertising Allowed or Prohibited?

– NASA GRC Solicitation: Purchase of Billboard Space for Educational Information: billboard # 1204
– NASA GRC Solicitation: Purchase of Billboard Space for Educational Information: billboard #222
– NASA GRC Solicitation: Purchase of Billboard Space for Educational Information: Cleveland Hopkins Airport
“NASA/GRC has a requirement for the purchase of display units located at the “Arrival” and “Exit” walls at Cleveland Hopkins Airport, Cleveland, OH. These displays will be used for education and information purposes and will be available to us for a period of eight (8) weeks.”
– It May Be Too Late for GRC to Advertise, earlier post
– Got Space?, earlier post
Keith’s note: It is not that I don’t think NASA should do more to present its value to the taxpayers (they should), but I find it rather curious that Congress is directing NASA to market itself to the American public – and that Congress is doing so after years of chastising NASA for trying to market itself to Congress – directly or indirectly – and even putting prohibitions on advertising, marketing, etc. into law. This is really confusing given that Congress is supposed to serve the the public in the first place. How better to do that than to say “hey, come over here and look at this”. If GRC can get away with overt advertising (billboards are rather large after all) then why can’t other NASA centers do this?