Tito’s trip was only possible following the agreement of all ISS Partners.32
His participation had originally been opposed by NASA, which argued that the
presence of an ‘amateur’ on the ISS would endanger the permanent crew.
However, following the success of his journey, NASA became more open to the
idea of space tourists within the context of the ISS project.33 Indeed, Tito was
subsequently asked to address a US Congress subcommittee on the subject of
space tourism.34