<\/p>\n
Former first lady Melania Trump has released a collection of Apollo 11-themed NFTs that may violate NASA policies.<\/p>\n
The NFTs feature one of the most popular photos from the Apollo program\u2014the 1969 image of astronaut Buzz Aldrin walking on the surface of the moon as taken by Apollo 11 commander Neil Armstrong, who is seen reflected with the lunar lander in Aldrin\u2019s visor.<\/p>\n
The picture is seen on an iPod-shaped rotating object textured like the surface of the moon with Armstrong\u2019s misquoted<\/a> exclamation, \u201cOne small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.\u201d<\/p>\n The Man on the Moon<\/em> NFTs are being sold for $75 each and the listing<\/a> on a website called USA Memorabilia shows 479 editions remaining. It was not immediately clear how many were originally minted. They are being branded as a \u201climited edition collectible\u201d that has a \u201cspecial audio\u201d embedded that will unlock after purchase.<\/p>\n The Man on the Moon<\/em> NFT offered by Melania Trump. Courtesy of USA Memorabilia<\/p>\n<\/div>\n NASA\u2019s images are generally not copyrighted because they are produced by a federal agency. Beyond that, NASA also makes its images available to the public for \u201ceducational or informational purposes.\u201d<\/p>\n Still, NASA has a document<\/a> outlining the agency\u2019s regulations for merchandising requests noting that \u201cstrict laws and regulations\u201d govern how NASA\u2019s branding and imagery can be used by companies.<\/p>\n \u201cNASA is not approving any merchandising applications involving Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs), as they are not consistent with the categories of products the agency is approved to merchandise,\u201d the document reads.<\/p>\n \u201cFurther, as stated in the NASA Media Usage Guidelines, NASA does not wish for its images to be used in connection with NFTs.\u201d<\/p>\n The potential consequences for violating NASA\u2019s guidelines were not immediately clear, though it\u2019s not stopped entities like Anicorn Watches from releasing a NASA-branded NFT<\/a> in 2021, one designed by Richard Danne, who created the space agency\u2019s beloved \u201cworm\u201d logo<\/a>.<\/p>\n USA Memorabilia does not list ownership or Trump\u2019s name anywhere on the site, but a\u00a0Whois search shows<\/a> that any identifying information about the domain\u2019s ownership has been \u201credacted for privacy.\u201d However, Melania Trump has claimed the NFTs during an interview with Fox News<\/a>.<\/p>\n The former first lady started selling NFTs in December 2021, inaugurating her own digital platform<\/a> with the sale of a NFT collection of watercolor portraits created by French artist Marc-Antoine Coulon. The sale was such a dud that Trump allegedly bought one of her own NFTs<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n More Trending Stories:\u00a0<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Artist Stuart Semple Is Releasing a \u2018Barbie-Ish,\u2019 Ultra-Fluorescent Pink Paint to Protest Mattel\u2019s Trademark on the Color<\/span><\/a>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n An Australian Photographer Was Disqualified From a Photo Contest After Her Submission Was Mistakenly Deemed A.I.-Generated<\/span><\/a>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Artist Tara Geer Goes Through Hundreds of Pencils a Day Creating Charcoal Drawings in Her Harlem Studio, Dog by Her Side<\/span><\/a>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Famed Art Dealer Massimo de Carlo Has Revealed Plans for a Monumental Private Art Foundation in Italy. Here\u2019s What We Know<\/span><\/a>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Artist Michael Moebius Is Suing Fast Fashion Retailer Shein in a Landmark Case for Artists Going After Multinational Companies<\/span><\/a>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n He Overpaid, Bid Against Himself, and Hid a Monet in His Basement. Here\u2019s What We Still Need to Learn From Visionary Art Dealer Joseph Duveen<\/span><\/a>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Two 10th-Century Stone Idols, Which Were Stolen From a Temple in India and Found in a Garden Shed in the U.K., Will Be Repatriated<\/span><\/a>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n How Indie Band Manchester Orchestra Brought Its Latest Album to Life by Blending Music and Immersive VR Art<\/span><\/a>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n