posted 06-04-2020 05:52 PM               

The ad, which was approved by the President, includes NASA footage of SpaceX's Crew Dragon Demo-2 launch, scenes showing NASA astronauts Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley, their wives and children and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk.

The ad runs counter to NASA's rules for advertising, as Space.com explains:

Those guidelines prohibit using the name or likeness of any active astronaut, like Behnken and Hurley, in advertising or marketing material.

"Astronauts or employees who are currently employed by NASA cannot have their names, likenesses or other personality traits displayed in any advertisements or marketing material," the NASA regulation states.

Behnken's wife Megan McArthur, also an active astronaut, and the couple's son are briefly visible in the video with their backs to the camera. Hurley's wife, retired NASA astronaut Karen Nyberg, and young son also appear in the video with their backs to the camera. A different regulation governs the use of former astronauts in advertising, but does require consent from the astronaut.

I find it disturbing that a video image of me and my son is being used in political propaganda without my knowledge or consent. That is wrong.

A Change.org petition, signed by more than 3,000 people, protests the "politicizing [of] SpaceX and NASA accomplishments" in the context of the ad.