Just a word of advice.
"No".
They chose those macs because they got a great deal from apple for some fancy displays. NONE of the graphicboxen you refer to were actually involved in any way with any actual real-world activities. I should know. I was at the AMES Research Center when the first Mars Lander photos came in.
But, feel free to believe that those machines (laptops) were doing something grand. I would be the last to take away such a momentous occasion from you...
No, they didn't. Apple did not supply Ames with any "special deal." US government procurement specifications during the Obama administration has required Windows PCs. Purchasing Macs requires almost an act of Congress. Those are personal computers. First you are a CAD/CAM designer. Now you are a engineer at Ames Research Center. Which is it? Even if you were there as one of the contractors, I would HIGHLY doubt they discussed computer procurement with you.
Note the evidence of your making your claim up: There is a mix of computers in that crowd. Right in front is one with a PC. There are at least five different models of MacBook that I can see on the desks. In the back is a fellow holding an older black MacBook. They are all different vintages. The young lady in the middle appears to have a MacBook Air. A guy in the back seems to have a 17" model. . . That'd be vintage 2007-8. No, Utilizer. You're making things up that just don't hold water and don't comport with what I have read about the NASA engineers buying their own because they hated the Windows notebooks.