and chairman byer, i am pleased you set this important hearing on the space station and nasa's futurelow orbit. i want to welcome artist and wished witnesses and thank you for participating. i also want to thank you for your service. we would not be discussing the international space station, its accomplishments, and the plan for the future without your important contributions. and those of so many others. important work remains to be done, including human health and performance in space, microgravity, life-support system for deep space exploration, and next-generation space development testing. these activities, as well as all the research, are nasa's priorities because part of our congressional role is to consider how long though space station should operate. and while private tourist missions may grab media attention, they do not establish the case for expanding this unique opportunity. we need nasa to provide a clear accounting of what the specific requirements will be. i am very proud of what nasa and our partners have accomplished. with the space station. it has supported humans