Lars Aronsson wrote:
If they really wanted to release an image, they could find a way. They have solved more complicated problems than this, things that really are rocket science.
It's a simple contract with the photographer. It's not rocket science.
This is, I'm afraid, a rather naive point of view. :-)
First hand experience with such projects (I've done some work with aerospace people, that is, on jetliner avionics, see my professional page for details) has showed me that red tape (bureaucracy, lawyers, executives) is far more difficult to solve than technical issues.