The Ares 3 crew are the six astronauts selected for NASA's third manned mission to Mars. Commanded by Melissa Lewis, the crew includes pilot Rick Martinez, flight surgeon Chris Beck, systems operator Beth Johanssen, chemist Alex Vogel, and botanist Mark Watney. When a violent dust storm forces an emergency evacuation of the surface during the early days of their mission, the crew is forced to leave Watney behind after he is struck by debris and presumed dead. The rest of the crew departs Mars aboard the Hermes spacecraft, only to learn later that Watney survived. The decision to leave him - and the crew's determination to bring him home once they learn the truth - drives the emotional core of the story. Each crew member brings specialised expertise and a distinct personality, and their loyalty to one another is tested by the impossible distances and timescales involved in a Mars rescue.