Ares One

Ares One is the name of the first manned spaceflight to Mars. Its crew consisted of three astronauts: Commander Jacob Hardy, Mihaylova, and Qiao.

History
Fourteen months prior to the mission, a press conference was held, where Commander Hardy said he felt privileged to be part of the mission. The Traveler had already visited Jupiter, Mercury, and Venus at this point, and at the time it was unknown it if would stop at Mars at all. Despite this, the mission was still approved in order to assess the possible threat of the Traveler.

During the mission, a twenty minute delay in communications meant the crew was on its own for a landing. While searching for a safe point to touchdown, the number three engine malfunctioned. Qiao and Mihaylova managed to correct the error, while Hardy landed the vessel manually. They left their ship and proceeded on foot to the Traveler, armed with weapons in case they needed them.

At the top of the ridge they came into view of the Traveler, terraforming Mars before their eyes and making it rain on the desert world. Hardy marveled at the Traveler, believing it to be the key to humanities advancement. Fifty years later humanity would be living among the worlds the traveler visited, and this first contact with the Traveler marked the beginning of the Golden Age.

Trivia

 * Ares I was the crew launch vehicle that was being developed by NASA as part of the Constellation program.
 * Ares is the ancient Greek god of war, a son of Zeus and Hera, identified by the Romans with Mars.

List of appearances

 * Destiny