Mementos Aboard NASA Missions

14 C.F.R. Part ..., Subpart 1214.6
in effectEffective: 2024-07-01

14 C.F.R. § 1214.600 Scope.

This subpart establishes policy and procedures for carrying mementos on the NASA missions, with the exception of mementos and personal effects carried onboard the International Space Station (ISS).

14 C.F.R. § 1214.601 Definitions.

Mementos. Flags, patches, insignia, medallions, minor graphics, and similar items of little commercial value, especially suited for display by the individuals or groups to whom they have been presented.

14 C.F.R. § 1214.602 Policy.

Premise. Mementos are welcome aboard NASA missions. However, they are flown as a courtesy—not as an entitlement. All mementos must be approved by the Associate Administrator for Human Exploration and Operations and are stowed only in an Official Flight Kit (OFK) or Personal Preference Kit (PPK). (a) Economic gain. Items carried in an OFK or a PPK will not be sold, transferred for sale, used or transferred for personal gain, or used or transferred for any commercial or fund-raising purpose. Items such as philatelic materials and coins that, by their nature, lend themselves to exploitation by the recipients, or create problems with respect to good taste; or that are large, bulky, or heavy items will not be approved for flight. (b) [Reserved]

14 C.F.R. § 1214.603 Official Flight Kit.

(a) Purpose. The Official Flight Kit (OFK) on a particular mission allows NASA, and other domestic and friendly foreign countries' organizations with NASA approval, to utilize mementos as awards and commendations or preserve them in museums or archives. No personal items will be carried in the OFK. (b) Approval of contents. At least 120 days prior to the scheduled launch of a particular mission, an authorized representative of each organization desiring mementos to be carried on a flight in the OFK must submit a letter or request describing the item(s) to be flown and the intended purpose or distribution. Letters should be directed to the Associate Administrator for Human Exploration and Operations, NASA Headquarters, Washington DC 20546.

14 C.F.R. § 1214.604 Personal Preference Kit.

(a) Purpose. The Personal Preference Kit (PPK) enables persons on a particular mission to carry personal items for use as mementos. Only those individuals actually accompanying such flights may request authorization to carry personal items as mementos. (b) Approval of content. At least 60 days prior to the scheduled launch of a particular mission, each person assigned to the flight who desires to carry items in a PPK must submit a proposed list of items and their recipients to the Associate Director, NASA Johnson Space Center. The Associate Director will review the proposed list of items and, if approved, submit the crew members' PPK lists through supervisory channels to the Associate Administrator for Human Exploration and Operations for approval. A signed copy of approval from the Associate Administrator for Human Exploration and Operations will be returned to the Director, NASA Johnson Space Center, for distribution.

14 C.F.R. § 1214.607 Media and public inquiries.

Information on mementos flown on a particular mission will be routinely released by the Associate Administrator of the Office of Communications to the media and to the public upon their request, but only after they have been approved for flight.

14 C.F.R. § 1214.609 Loss or Theft.

(a) Liability. Neither NASA nor the U.S. Government will be liable for the loss or theft of, or damage to, items carried in OFKs or PPKs. (b) Report of loss or theft. Any person who learns that an item contained in an OFK or a PPK is missing shall immediately report the loss to the Johnson Space Center Security Office and the NASA Inspector General.

14 C.F.R. § 1214.610 Violations.

Any items carried in violation of the requirements of this subpart shall become property of the U.S. Government, subject to applicable Federal laws and regulations, and the violator may be subject to disciplinary action, including being permanently prohibited from use of, or if an individual, from flying aboard a NASA mission.

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