Ares Program
Six souls. One world. A will that bends steel.
via Wikipedia: The Martian (Weir novel) · see source
The Ares Program is NASA's series of manned missions to Mars. The story of the Ares 3 mission follows an American astronaut, Mark Watney, as he becomes stranded alone on Mars in 2035 and must improvise in order to survive. The crew of NASA's Ares 3 mission have arrived at Acidalia Planitia for a month-long stay on Mars. After only six sols, a wind storm threatens to topple their Mars Ascent Vehicle (MAV), which would trap them on the planet. During the evacuation, an antenna tears loose and impales astronaut Mark Watney, a botanist and engineer, also disabling his spacesuit radio and life signs monitoring system. He is flung out of sight by the wind and presumed dead. As the MAV teeters dangerously, mission commander Melissa Lewis has no choice but to take off without completing the search for Watney.
Quick Facts
- Affiliation
- NASA
- First appears
- The Martian (novel/film)
Lore & Background
The Ares Program is NASA's manned Mars exploration program. Each Ares mission sends a crew to Mars for a month-long stay. The Ares 3 crew consists of six astronauts: Mark Watney (astrobotanist and mechanical engineer), Melissa Lewis (commander, United States Navy Submarine Warfare officer, oceanographer, and geologist), Rick Martinez (pilot), Beth Johanssen (computer specialist), Alex Vogel (astrochemist), and Dr. Chris Beck (flight surgeon and EVA specialist).
The crew travels to Mars aboard the Hermes spacecraft. The program involves pre-positioning Mars Ascent Vehicles (MAVs) at landing sites years ahead of the crew. The Ares 4 MAV is already pre-positioned at Schiaparelli crater, where the next mission will land in four years. NASA personnel include Dr. Venkat Kapoor (Ares program manager), Mitch Henderson (chief of astronaut corps), Bruce Ng (director of JPL), Teddy Sanders (NASA administrator), Annie Montrose (NASA public relations chief), Mindy Park (NASA satellite imaging), and Rich Purnell (NASA astrodynamicist).
Reader's Guide
The Ares 3 mission lands six astronauts at Acidalia Planitia for a month-long stay. After only six sols, a wind storm forces an evacuation. Mark Watney is impaled by an antenna, presumed dead, and left behind. He survives and must rely on his own resourcefulness.
He grows potatoes in the Hab using an iridium catalyst to separate hydrogen gas from surplus hydrazine fuel, which he burns with oxygen to generate water. NASA discovers Watney is alive from satellite images. Watney plans to drive 3,235 kilometers (2,010 miles) to Schiaparelli crater where the Ares 4 MAV is pre-positioned. He modifies a rover, adding solar cells and an additional battery.
He makes a three-week test drive to recover part of the Pathfinder lander and Sojourner rover, enabling him to contact NASA. The Hab canvas tears due to repeated use, causing depressurization that kills his potato plants. NASA prepares an uncrewed supply probe, but the rocket disintegrates after liftoff. A deal with the China National Space Administration provides a booster planned for the Taiyang Shen solar probe.
Astrodynamicist Rich Purnell devises a slingshot trajectory around Earth for a gravity assist to get Hermes back to Mars. The crew of Hermes approves the plan and begins the maneuver, disabling remote overrides. Watney reaches the Ares 4 MAV, modifies it to reduce weight, and launches to intercept Hermes. Lewis improvises a plan using attitude thrusters and an improvised bomb to slow Hermes. Beck uses a Manned Maneuvering Unit on a tether to reach Watney and bring him back to Hermes.
Did You Know?
- The Chinese National Space Administration provides a booster originally planned for the Taiyang Shen solar probe to help resupply Hermes.
- Rich Purnell's slingshot trajectory around Earth uses a gravity assist to get Hermes back to Mars on an extended mission.
- Watney communicates with NASA by recovering the Pathfinder lander and Sojourner rover, then later uses Morse code spelled out with rocks.
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