Government-source does not mean “ignore the terms”
NASA states that its content is generally not subject to U.S. copyright, but its logos and identifiers are protected, third-party materials can appear on NASA sites, identifiable people raise publicity issues, and commercial use must not imply endorsement.
Credit the source even when permission is broad
Attribution keeps scientific provenance intact and helps distinguish an original mission image from later colorization, compositing, or derivative artwork.
Track image rights separately from numerical data rights
The ephemeris that positions a planet and the photograph used to texture it may come from entirely different sources and licenses. A production system should preserve both trails.