NASA at Rahm's beck and call?

  Interesting little article over at the local CBS station in Chicago about Rahm Emanuel's mayoral race. The question: why does he need help from outside if he's so far ahead? 
  But most interesting are these last few words of commentary and the question that is quite appropriate. 
  How does a local candidate get NASA at his service for a shot at a mayoral campaign?
  Good question.
  Walter's Perspective at CBS Chicago:

A picture has been taken by a US astronaut from the International Space Station to help Rahm Emanuel’s campaign for mayor.

It is a beautiful picture of Chicago taken from space and is intended to be handed out to voters as he finishes campaigning.

And here on Earth we have been thinking the astronauts, space station, and NASA belong to all of us and not to a candidate for Mayor.

But hey, it’s Rahm Emanuel. So think again.

  The nation is broke; we're borrowing every penny we run on; food prices are rising perilously; we're fighting the world to maintain dollar dominance. 
  But NASA helps a local Democrat run for his mayoral campaign? Is this something every mayoral candidate can do? Who paid for this process? Sending it back to earth? Taking the time to do it away from duties in space?
  What's wrong with this picture?