Project Ares

Project Ares, also known as the International Ares Mars program, was an international human spaceflight program carried out by a collaboration of space agencies represented by China (CNSA), the European Space Agency (France, Germany, and Italy), India (ISRO), Japan (JAXA), Russia (RSA), United Kingdom (UKSA), and the United States (NASA), which succeeded in preparing and landing the first humans on Mars from 1986 to 2009. Several components were developed by American corporations like Vega Aerospace. It was first conceived in 1985 during President William Morgan's administration as a collaboration between over two dozen nations to follow the United States and Germany's Space Race. Ares was the first space project to be conducted as an international collaboration.
In 1977, an international committee was formed to explore the possibility of a crewed mission to the planet Mars by 2000. By 1980, an international Mars mission became a campaign issue for the United States presidential candidates running at the time. By 1985, a crew had been selected and a six-month training phase had begun. The crew of twelve were launched onboard the Space Shuttle Challenger with NLS-62-B which denoted the fiscal year of launch (1987), the second launch facility in California (2) and the second launch of the year (B) on February 22, 1986. Ares M-5 departed Earth orbit on March 7, 1996 and carried out a gravitational slingshot around the planet Venus on August 15, 1986 (the closest approach for a human-rated craft in over twenty years) with a Mars Orbital Insertion on February 20, 1987 before returning to Earth in December 21, 1987.
Ares set several major human spaceflight milestones, it stood as the third crewed mission beyond low Earth orbit. Ares M-4 was the first crewed spacecraft to orbit another planet, and the mission was also the first crewed spacecraft to land humans on one.
== List of missions ==
* Ares M-1: Uncrewed test flight, launched February 1985.
* Ares M-2: Uncrewed test flight, launched June 1985.
* Ares M-3: Uncrewed test flight, launched October 1985.
* Ares M-4: First crewed landing on the planet Mars, launched from Earth in 1986, landed in 1987, and returned later that year. 
** One of the crewmembers was Thomas Sawyer, eldest son of Wally Sawyer (the second human to set foot on the Moon).
* Ares M-5: Second crewed landing on the planet Mars, launched from Earth in 1987, landed in 1988, and returned in 1989.
* Ares M-6: Third crewed landing on the planet Mars, launched from Earth in 1988, landed in 1989, and returned in 1990.
* Ares M-7: Fourth crewed landing on the planet Mars, launched from Earth in 1989, landed in 1990, and returned in 1991.
* Ares M-8: Fifth crewed landing on the planet Mars, launched from Earth in 1990, landed in 1991, and returned in 1992.
** In 1990, the development of a second phase of Ares M-series spacecraft were developed reducing the travel time to Mars by nearly a quarter. After this, four Ares missions were launched per year.
* Ares M-9: Launched Spring 1991, landed in Summer 1991, returned late 1991. 
** Six-month service obligations on Mars become the norm, at least renewable once.
* Ares M-10: Launched Summer 1991.
* Ares M-11: Launched Fall 1991.
* Ares M-12: Launched Winter 1991.
* Ares M-13: Launched Spring 1992.
* Ares M-14: Launched Summer 1992.
* Ares M-15: Launched Fall 1992.
* Ares M-16: Launched Winter 1992.
* Ares M-17: Launched Spring 1993.
** Third phase of Ares M-series spacecraft.
* Ares M-18: Launched Summer 1993.
* Ares M-19: Launched Fall 1993.
* Ares M-20: Launched Winter 1993.
* Ares M-21: Launched Spring 1994.
* Ares M-22: Launched Summer 1994.
* Ares M-23: Launched Fall 1994.
* Ares M-24: Launched Winter 1994.
* Ares M-25: Launched Spring 1995.
** Fourth phase of Ares M-series spacecraft.
* Ares M-26: Launched Summer 1995.
* Ares M-27: Launched Fall 1995.
* Ares M-28: Launched Winter 1995.
* Ares M-29: Launched Spring 1996.
* Ares M-30: Launched Summer 1996.
* Ares M-31: Launched Fall 1996.
* Ares M-32: Launched Winter 1996.
* Ares M-33: Launched Spring 1997.
** Fifth phase of Ares M-series spacecraft.
* Ares M-34: Launched Summer 1997.
* Ares M-35: Launched Fall 1997.
* Ares M-36: Launched Winter 1997.
* Ares M-37: Launched Spring 1998.
* Ares M-38: Launched Summer 1998.
* Ares M-39: Launched Fall 1998.
* Ares M-40: Launched Winter 1998.
* Ares M-41: Launched Spring 1999.
** Sixth phase of Ares M-series spacecraft.
* Ares M-42: Launched Summer 1999.
* Ares M-43: Launched Fall 1999.
* Ares M-44: Launched Winter 1999.
* Ares M-45: Launched Spring 2000.
* Ares M-46: Launched Summer 2000.
* Ares M-47: Launched Fall 2000.
* Ares M-48: Launched Winter 2000.
* Ares M-49: Launched Spring 2001.
** Seventh phase of Ares M-series spacecraft.
* Ares M-50: Launched Summer 2001.
* Ares M-51: Launched Fall 2001.
* Ares M-52: Launched Winter 2001.
* Ares M-53: Launched Spring 2002.
* Ares M-54: Launched Summer 2002.
* Ares M-55: Launched Fall 2002.
* Ares M-56: Launched Winter 2002, returned Winter 2003.
** Eighth phase of Ares M-series spacecraft.
* Ares M-57: Launched Spring 2003.
* Ares M-58: Launched Summer 2003.
* Ares M-59: Launched Fall 2003.
* Ares M-60: Launched Winter 2003.
* Ares M-61: Launched Spring 2004.
* Ares M-62: Launched Summer 2004.
* Ares M-63: Launched Fall 2004.
* Ares M-64: Launched Winter 2004.
** Ninth phase of Ares M-series spacecraft.
* Ares M-65: Launched Spring 2005.
* Ares M-66: Launched Summer 2005.
* Ares M-67: Launched Fall 2005.
* Ares M-68: Launched Winter 2005.
* Ares M-69: Launched Spring 2006.
* Ares M-70: Launched Summer 2006.
* Ares M-71: Launched Fall 2006.
* Ares M-72: Launched Winter 2006.
** Tenth phase of Ares M-series spacecraft. 
* Ares M-73: Launched Spring 2007.
* Ares M-74: Launched Summer 2007.
* Ares M-75: Launched Fall 2007.
* Ares M-76: Launched Winter 2007.
* Ares M-77: Launched Spring 2008.
* Ares M-78: Launched Summer 2008.
* Ares M-79: Launched Fall 2008.
* Ares M-80: Launched Winter 2008, returned Winter 2009.
== Ares M-4 ==
=== Ares M-4 Crew Composition ===
# Mission Commander: (United States)
# Mission Pilot: (ESA- France)
# Glider Pilot: (Russia)
# Glider Co-Pilot: (United States)
# Lander Pilot #1: Thomas Sawyer (United States)
# Lander Pilot #2: (China)
# Mission Chief Scientist: (Russia)
# Mission Science Specialist #1: (India)
# Mission Science Specialist #2: (United Kingdom)
# Mission Science Specialist #3: (Germany)
# Mission Science Specialist #4: (United States)
# Mission Science Specialist #5: (Japan)
Category:Spacecraft
Category:Mars missions
Category:Space projects