Keith’s note: NASA HQ now has a new public visitor facility with some cool stuff. On the front windows of HQ are some big banners – one mentions some sort of sponsorship by/affiliation with “Freedom 250”. Meanwhile I got a press release from the Federal Circuit Center for Innovation & Law that said “America 250 program takes visitors from Dolley Madison’s parlor and NASA’s first DC headquarters …” So what is the intent of Freedom 250 vs America 250 things involving NASA? Like most people in DC, I am confused as to what is political and what is not. I’d ask NASA PAO, but they are all political there, so.
- America 250 (United States Semiquincentennial) is a non-political entity created by Congress to ensure all 350 americans can participate. America 250 was established by Congress as a bipartisan committee in 2016 focusing mostly on historical and educational events nationwide.
- “Freedom 250“ was created under an executive order by the President and supports fireworks, Patriot Games National Competition, the White House UFC mega cage fight thing and that Indy 250 race through the streets of DC.
- Some in Congress now accuse Freedom 250 of using a portion of the $150 million allocated by Congress for America 250 to fund events under the executive branch i.e Freedom 250. – There was also alot of confusion as to who was sponsoring that now-cancelled concert wherein nearly all acts cancelled when they found out it was poliical (Freedom 250) and not apolitical (America 250).
- If you look at the pictures of NASA Administrator’s private jets (private, not government) they have a Freedom 250 logo on the tail.
- If you go to the official NASA 250th birthday website it says “Freedom 250” i.e https://www.nasa.gov/freedom250/ with pictures on lots of NASA rockets and aircraft
- If you go to any random Artemis II SLS picture like this you can see America 250 logo on the SRBs – but no Freedom 250. But the Artemis II crew (including a Canadian) wore Freedom 250 patches.
- The line between America 250 and Freedom 250 is blurry. Will politics will outweigh the patriotism – and where does NASA fit into all of this? Hard to tell these days.
