Ares I

Artist's impression of Ares I launch
Function	man-rated orbital launch vehicle
Manufacturer	Alliant Techsystems (Stage I) Boeing (Stage II)
Country of origin	United States
Size
Height	94 meters (308 ft)
Diameter	5.5 meters (18 ft)
Mass	TBC
Stages	2
Capacity
Payload to LEO	25,400 kg (56,000 lb)
Launch history
Status	canceled (2011)
Launch sites	Kennedy Space Center, LC-39B
Total launches	1 (prototype)
Maiden flight	Scheduled for 2014 (Augustine Commission estimated 2017)
First Stage
Engines	1 Solid
Thrust	TBC
Burn time	~150 seconds
Fuel	Solid
Second Stage
Engines	1 J-2X
Thrust	1,308 kilonewtons (294,000 lbf)
Burn time	TBC
Fuel	LH2/LOX

Ares I was the crew launch vehicle that was being developed by NASA as part of the Constellation Program.^[1] The name "Ares" refers to the Greek deity Ares, who is identified with the Roman god Mars.^[2] Ares I was originally known as the "Crew Launch Vehicle" (CLV).^[3]

NASA planned to use Ares I to launch Orion, the spacecraft intended for NASA human spaceflight missions after the Space Shuttle was retired in 2011. Ares I was to complement the larger, unmanned Ares V, which was the cargo launch vehicle for Constellation. NASA selected the Ares designs for their anticipated overall safety, reliability and cost-effectiveness.^[4] However, the Constellation program, including Ares I was canceled in October 2010 by the passage of the 2010 NASA authorization bill. Existing Constellation contracts remain in place until Congress passes a new funding bill. In September 2011 NASA detailed the Space Launch System as its new vehicle for human exploration beyond Earth's orbit.^[5]

Development[link]

Advanced Transportation System Studies[link]

In 1995 Lockheed Martin produced an Advanced Transportation System Studies (ATSS) report for the Marshall Space Flight Center. A section of the ATSS report describes several possible vehicles much like the Ares I design, with liquid rocket second stages stacked above segmented solid rocket booster (SRB) first stages.^[6] The variants that were considered included both the J-2S engines and Space Shuttle Main Engines (SSMEs) for the second stage. The variants also assumed use of the Advanced Solid Rocket Motor (ASRM) as a first stage, but the ASRM was cancelled in 1993 due to significant cost overruns.

Exploration Systems Architecture Study[link]

President George W. Bush had announced the Vision for Space Exploration in January 2004, and NASA under Sean O'Keefe had solicited plans for a Crew Exploration Vehicle from multiple bidders, with the plan for having two competing teams. These plans were discarded by incoming administrator Michael Griffin, and on April 29, 2005, NASA chartered the Exploration Systems Architecture Study to accomplish specific goals:^[7]

• determine the "top-level requirements and configurations for crew and cargo launch systems to support the lunar and Mars exploration programs"
• assess the "CEV requirements and plans to enable the CEV to provide crew transport to the ISS"
• "develop a reference lunar exploration architecture concept to support sustained human and robotic lunar exploration operations"
• "identify key technologies required to enable and significantly enhance these reference exploration systems"

A Shuttle-derived launch architecture was selected by NASA for the Ares I. Originally, the vehicle would have used a four-segment solid rocket booster (SRB) for the first stage, and a simplified Space Shuttle Main Engine (SSME) for the second stage. An unmanned version was to use the five-segment booster, but with the second stage using the single SSME.^[8] Shortly after the initial design was approved, additional tests revealed that the Orion spacecraft would be too heavy for the four-segment booster to lift,^[9] and in January 2006 NASA announced they would slightly reduce the size of the Orion spacecraft, add a fifth segment to the solid-rocket first stage, and replace the single SSME with the Apollo-derived J-2X motor.^[10] While the change from a four-segment first stage to a five-segment version would allow NASA to construct virtually identical motors (albeit with some interchangeable segments), the main reason for the change to the five-segment booster was the move to the J-2X.^[11]

Comparison of the basic size and shape of the Saturn V, Space Shuttle, Ares I, and Ares V.

The Exploration Systems Architecture Study concluded that the cost and safety of the Ares was superior to that of either of the Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle (EELVs).^[7] The cost estimates in the study were based on the assumption that new launch pads would be needed for human-rated EELVs.^[7] The facilities for the current EELVs (LC-37 for Delta IV, LC-41 for Atlas V) are in place and could be modified, but this may not have been the most cost effective solution as LC-37 is a contractor owned and operated (COGO) facility and modifications for the Delta IV H were determined to be similar to those required for Ares I.^[12] The ESAS launch safety estimates for the Ares were based on the Space Shuttle, despite the differences, and included only launches after the post-Challenger Space Shuttle redesign.^[13] The estimate counted each Shuttle launch as two safe launches of the Ares booster. The safety of the Atlas V and Delta IV was estimated from the failure rates of all Delta II, Atlas-Centaur, and Titan launches since 1992, although they are not similar designs.^{[citation needed]}

In May 2009 the previously withheld appendices to the 2006 ESAS study were leaked, revealing a number of apparent flaws in the study, which gave safety exemptions to the selected Ares I design while using a model which penalized the EELV-based designs.^{[14][unreliable source?]}

Role in Constellation program[link]

Exploded view of the Ares I

Ares I was the crew launch component of the Constellation program. Originally named the "Crew Launch Vehicle" or CLV, the Ares name was chosen from the Greek deity Ares.^[3] Unlike the Space Shuttle, where both crew and cargo were launched simultaneously on the same rocket, the plans for Project Constellation outlined having two separate launch vehicles, the Ares I and the Ares V, for crew and cargo, respectively. Having two separate launch vehicles allows for more specialized designs for the crew and heavy cargo launch rockets.^[15]

The Ares I rocket was specifically being designed to launch the Orion Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle. Orion was intended as a crew capsule, similar in design to the Apollo program capsule, to transport astronauts to the International Space Station, the Moon, and eventually Mars. Ares I might have also delivered some (limited) resources to orbit, including supplies for the International Space Station or subsequent delivery to the planned lunar base.^[4]

Contractor selection[link]

NASA selected Alliant Techsystems, the builder of the Space Shuttle Solid Rocket Boosters, as the prime contractor for the Ares I first stage.^[16][17] NASA announced that Rocketdyne would be the main subcontractor for the J-2X rocket engine on July 16, 2007.^[18] NASA selected Boeing to provide and install the avionics for the Ares I rocket on December 12, 2007.^[19]

On August 28, 2007 NASA awarded the Ares I Upper Stage manufacturing contract to Boeing. Boeing built the S-IC stage of the Saturn V rocket at Michoud Assembly Facility in the 1960s. The upper stage of Ares I was to have been built at the NASA Michoud Assembly Facility, the construction site used for the Space Shuttle's External Tank and the Saturn V's S-IC first stage.^[20][21]

J-2X engines[link]

At approximately US$20–25 million per engine, the Rocketdyne-designed and produced J-2X would have cost less than half as much as the more complex Space Shuttle Main Engine (around $55 million).^[22] Unlike the Space Shuttle Main Engine, which was designed to start on the ground, the J-2X was designed from inception to be started in both mid-air and in near-vacuum. This air-start capability was critical, especially in the original J-2 engine used on the Saturn V's S-IVB stage, to propel the Apollo spacecraft to the Moon. The Space Shuttle Main Engine, on the other hand, would have required extensive modifications to add an air-start capability and have been able to restart in a near-vacuum. Near-vacuum restart capability was needed for the Ares I because it was intended to fly an Earth orbit rendezvous, and because the Orion spacecraft has limited fuel reserves. Due to these design issues, a modified Space Shuttle Main Engine would have to be "pre-fired" in a manner similar to the "Main Engine tests" conducted on the Space Shuttle Main Engines prior to the maiden flights of each NASA orbiter, including the STS-26 return to flight in 1988.^[11]

System requirements review[link]

On January 4, 2007, NASA announced that the Ares I had completed its system requirements review, the first such review completed for any manned spacecraft design since the Space Shuttle.^[23] This review was the first major milestone in the design process, and was intended to ensure that the Ares I launch system met all the requirements necessary for the Constellation Program. In addition to the release of the review, NASA also announced that a redesign in the tank hardware was made. Instead of separate LH₂ and LO₂ tanks, separated by an "intertank" like that of the Space Shuttle External Tank, the new LH₂ and LOX tanks would have been separated by a common bulkhead like that employed on the Saturn V S-II and S-IVB stages. This would have provided a significant mass saving and eliminated the need to design a second stage interstage unit that would have had to carry the weight of the Orion spacecraft with it.^[17]

Analysis and testing[link]

Ares I-X launches from Kennedy Space Center launch pad 39B, 15:30 UTC, October 28, 2009.

In January 2008, NASA Watch revealed that the first stage solid rocket of the Ares I could have created high vibrations during the first few minutes of ascent. The vibrations would have been caused by thrust oscillations inside the first stage.^[24] NASA officials had identified the potential problem at the Ares I system design review in late October 2007, stating in a press release that it wanted to solve it by March 2008.^[25] NASA admitted that this problem was very severe, rating it four out of five on a risk scale, but the agency was very confident in solving it.^[24] The mitigation approach developed by the Ares engineering team included active and passive vibration damping, adding an active tuned-mass absorber and a passive "compliance structure" – essentially a spring-loaded ring that would have detuned the Ares I stack.^[26] NASA also pointed out that, since this would have been a new launch system, like the Apollo or Space Shuttle systems, it was normal for such problems to arise during the development stage.^[27] According to NASA, analysis of the data and telemetry from the Ares I-X flight showed that vibrations from thrust oscillation were within the normal range for a Space Shuttle flight.^[28]

A study released in July 2009 by the 45th Space Wing of the US Air Force concluded that an abort 30–60 seconds after launch would have a ~100% chance of killing all crew, due to the capsule being engulfed until ground impact by a cloud of 4,000 °F (2,200 °C) solid propellant fragments, which would melt the capsule's nylon parachute material. NASA's study showed the crew capsule would have flown beyond the more severe danger.^[29][30]

The Ares I igniter was an advanced version of the flight-proven igniter used on the Space Shuttle's solid rocket boosters. It was approximately 18 inches (46 cm) in diameter and 36 inches (91 cm) long, and took advantage of upgraded insulation materials that had improved thermal properties to protect the igniter's case from the burning solid propellant.^[31] NASA successfully completed test firing of the igniter for the Ares I engines on March 10, 2009 at ATK Launch Systems test facilities near Promontory, Utah. The igniter test generated a flame 200 feet (60 meters) in length, and preliminary data showed the igniter performed as planned.^[31]

Development of the Ares I propulsion elements continues to make strong progress. On September 10, 2009, the first Ares I development motor (DM-1) was successfully tested in a full-scale, full-duration test firing.^[32] This test was followed by two more development motor tests, DM-2 on August 31, 2010 and DM-3 on September 8, 2011. For DM-2 the motor was cooled to a core temperature of 40 degrees Fahrenheit (4 degrees Celsius), and for DM-3 it was heated to above 90 degrees Fahrenheit (32 degrees Celsius). In addition to other objectives, these two tests validated Ares motor performance at extreme temperatures.^[33][34] NASA conducted a successful 500-second test firing of the J-2X rocket engine at John C. Stennis Space Center in November 2011.^[35]

The Ares I prototype, Ares I-X, successfully completed a test launch on October 28, 2009.^[36][37][38] Launch Pad 39B was damaged more than with a Space Shuttle launch. During descent, one of the three parachutes of the Ares I-X’s first stage failed to open, and another opened only partially, causing the booster to splash down harder and suffer structural damage.^[39] The launch accomplished all primary test objectives.^[39][40]

Schedule and cost[link]

A concept image of an Ares I launching from Kennedy Space Center launchpad 39B.

NASA completed the Ares I system requirements review in January 2007.^[23] Project design was to have continued through the end of 2009, with development and qualification testing running concurrently through 2012. As of July 2009^[update], flight articles were to have begun production towards the end of 2009 for a first launch in June 2011.^[41] Since 2006 the first launch of a human was planned for no later than 2014,^[42] which is four years after the planned retirement of the Space Shuttle.

Delays in the Ares I development schedule due to budgetary pressures and unforeseen engineering and technical difficulties would have increased the gap between the end of the Space Shuttle program and the first operational flight of Ares I.^[43] Because the Constellation program was never allocated the funding originally projected,^[44] the total estimated cost to develop the Ares I through 2015 rose from $28 billion in 2006 to more than $40 billion in 2009.^[45] The Ares I-X project cost was $445 million.^[46]

Originally scheduled for first test flights in 2011, the independent analysis by the Augustine Commission found in late 2009 that due to technical and financial problems Ares I was not likely to have had its first crewed launch until 2017–2019 under the current budget, or late 2016 with an unconstrained budget.^[47] The Augustine Commission also stated that Ares I and Orion would have an estimated recurring cost of almost $1 billion per flight.^[48] However, later financial analysis in march 2010 showed that the Ares I would have cost $1 billion or more to operate per flight had the Ares I flown just once a year. If the Ares I system were flown multiple times a year the marginal costs could have fallen to as low as $138 million per launch.^[49] In December 2011, NASA administrator Charlie Bolden testified to congress that the Ares I would cost $4-4.5 billion a year, and $1.6 billion per flight.^[50] The Ares I marginal cost was predicted to have been a fraction of the Shuttle's marginal costs even had it flown multiple times per year. By comparison, the cost of launching three astronauts on a manned Russian Soyuz is $153 million.^[51]

On February 8, 2011 it was reported that Alliant Techsystems and Astrium proposed to use Ares I's first stage with the second stage from the Ariane 5 to form a new rocket named Liberty.^[52]

Cancellation[link]

On February 1, 2010, President Barack Obama announced a proposal to cancel the Constellation program effective with the U.S. 2011 fiscal year budget,^[53] but later announced changes to the proposal in a major space policy speech at Kennedy Space Center on April 15, 2010. In October 2010, the NASA authorization bill for 2010 was signed into law which canceled Constellation.^[54] But previous legislation keeps Constellation contracts in force until a new funding bill is passed for 2011.^[55][56]

Design[link]

Concept image of the evolution of the Ares I design from pre-ESAS to latest developments.

Ares I had a payload capability in the 25-metric-ton (28-short-ton; 25-long-ton) class and was comparable to vehicles such as the Delta IV and the Atlas V.^[4] The NASA study group that selected what would become the Ares I rated the vehicle as almost twice as safe as an Atlas or Delta IV-derived design.^[57] The rocket was to have made use of an aluminum-lithium alloy which is lower in density but similar in strength compared to other aluminum alloys. The alloy is produced by Alcoa.^[58]

First stage[link]

The first stage was to have been a more powerful and reusable solid fuel rocket derived from the Space Shuttle Solid Rocket Booster (SRB). Compared with the Solid Rocket Booster, which had four segments, the most notable difference was the addition of a fifth segment. This fifth segment would have enabled the Ares I to produce more thrust.^[4][59] Other changes made to the Solid Rocket Booster were to have been the removal of the Space Shuttle External Tank (ET) attachment points and the replacement of the Solid Rocket Booster nosecone with a new forward adapter that would have interfaced with the liquid-fueled second stage. The adapter was to have been equipped with solid-fueled separation motors to facilitate the disconnection of the stages during ascent.^[4] The grain design was also changed, and so were the insulation and liner. By the Ares I first stage ground test, the case, grain design, number of segments, insulation, liner, throat diameter, thermal protection systems and nozzle had all changed.^[60]

Upper stage[link]

The upper stage, derived from the Shuttle's External Tank (ET) and based on the S-IVB stage of the Saturn V, was to be propelled by a single J-2X rocket engine fueled by liquid hydrogen (LH₂) and liquid oxygen (LOX).^[61] The J-2X was derived from the original J-2 engine used during the Apollo program, but with more thrust (~294,000 lbf) and fewer parts than the original engine. On July 16, 2007, NASA awarded Rocketdyne a sole-source contract for the J-2X engines to be used for ground and flight tests.^[62] Rocketdyne was the prime contractor for the original J-2 engines used in the Apollo program.

Although its J-2X engine was derived from an established design, the upper stage itself would have been wholly new. Originally to have been based on both the internal and external structure of the ET, the original design called for separate fuel and oxidizer tanks, joined together by an "intertank" structure, and covered with the spray-on foam insulation to keep venting to a minimum. The only new hardware on the original ET-derived second stage would have been the thrust assembly for the J-2X engine, new fill/drain/vent disconnects for the fuel and oxidizer, and mounting interfaces for the solid-fueled first stage and the Orion spacecraft.

Using a concept going back to the Apollo program, the "intertank" structure was dropped to decrease mass, and in its place, a common bulkhead, similar to that used on both the S-II and S-IVB stages of the Saturn V, would have been used between the tanks. The savings from these changes were used to increase propellant capacity, which was 297,900 pounds (135,100 kg).^[63] The spray-on foam insulation was the only part of the Shuttle's ET that would have been be used on this new Saturn-derived upper stage.

See also[link]

• Ares IV, a proposed heavy-lift variant of Ares I and V combined.
• Boilerplate (spaceflight)
• DIRECT, shuttle-derived launcher proposed as alternative to Ares I and Ares V.
• List of Constellation missions

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Project Constellation

• NASA Ares I page
• GAO-08-51, Ares I Report to Congress, GAO

v t e Constellation program Launch tests Ares I-X Ares I-Y Ares V-Y Later missions List of Constellation missions Orion Asteroid Mission Orion Mars Mission Components Orion Ares I Ares V Earth Departure Stage Altair J-2X RS-68 Shuttle-Derived Launch Vehicle Launch sites Kennedy Space Center LC-39 Abort Orion abort modes Orion Abort Test Booster Launch Abort System (LAS) Max Launch Abort System (MLAS) Related topics Vision for Space Exploration Exploration Systems Architecture Study DIRECT Constellation Space Suit Advanced Technology Large-Aperture Space Telescope (AT-LAST) NASA Authorization Act of 2005 Augustine Commission List of missions

v t e National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Policy and history NACA (1915) National Aeronautics and Space Act (1958) Paine (1986) Rogers (1986) Ride (1987) Space Exploration Initiative (1989) Augustine (1990) U.S. National Space Policy (1996) CFUSAI (2002) CAIB (2003) Vision for Space Exploration (2004) Aldridge (2004) Augustine (2009) General: Space Race Administrator and Deputy Administrator Chief Scientist Astronaut Corps Budget Spin-off technologies NASA TV Robotic programs Past Hitchhiker Mariner Mariner Mark II MESUR Mars Surveyor '98 New Millennium Lunar Orbiter Pioneer Planetary Observer Ranger Surveyor Viking Project Prometheus Current Living With a Star Lunar Precursor Robotic Program Earth Observing System Great Observatories program Explorer Small explorer Voyager (Sounds of the Cosmos) Discovery New Frontiers Mars Exploration Rover Mars Scout Human spaceflight programs Past X-15 (suborbital) Mercury Gemini Apollo Apollo–Soyuz Test Project (with USSR) Skylab Shuttle–Mir (with Russia) Space Shuttle program Constellation program Current International Space Station program Future/planned Commercial Orbital Transportation Services (COTS) Commercial Crew Development (CCDev) Individual featured missions (human and robotic) Past COBE Apollo 11 Mercury 3 Mercury 6 Magellan Pioneer 10/11 Voyager 1/2 Galileo WMAP WISE Space Shuttle Currently operating MRO Mars Odyssey MESSENGER Dawn New Horizons Kepler International Space Station Hubble Space Telescope Spitzer RHESSI SWIFT GALEX THEMIS Mars Exploration Rover Cassini GOES 14 Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter GOES 15 SDO Aquarius Juno GRAIL MSL Future NuSTAR NPP James Webb Space Telescope MAVEN WFIRST RBSP Space Comm and Nav (SCaN) Space Network Near Earth Network Deep Space Network (Goldstone Madrid Canberra) NASA categories and lists NASA personnel NASA programs NASA probes NASA images NASA Tweetup NASA List of NASA Astronaut Groups List of astronauts by selection List of NASA aircraft List of NASA missions List of NASA contractors

v t e J-2 rocket engine Variants J-2 · J-2S · J-2T · J-2X Technologies Bipropellant · Gas-generator cycle · LOX · LH2 Historic Vehicles Saturn IB (S-IVB) · Saturn V (S-II, S-IVB) Future Vehicles Space Launch System (EDS) Other LOX & LH2 Engines RS-25 · RS-68 · RL-10 · Vulcain

For the Zodiac sign, see Aries (astrology).

Ares
Statue of Ares from Hadrian's Villa
God of war and violence
Abode	Thrace, Mount Olympus, Macedonia & Sparta
Symbol	spear, helmet, dog, chariot, boar
Parents	Zeus and Hera
Siblings	Eris, Hebe, Hephaestus, Enyo,and Eileithyia
Children	Eros, Anteros, Phobos, Deimos, Phlegyas, Harmonia, and Adrestia
Roman equivalent	Mars

Ares (Ancient Greek: Ἄρης [árɛːs], Μodern Greek: Άρης [ˈaris]) was the Greek god of war. He is one of the Twelve Olympians, and the son of Zeus and Hera.^[1] In Greek literature, he often represents the physical or violent aspect of war, in contrast to the armored Athena, whose functions as a goddess of intelligence include military strategy and generalship.^[2]

The Greeks were ambivalent toward Ares: although he embodied the physical valor necessary for success in war, he was a dangerous force, "overwhelming, insatiable in battle, destructive, and man-slaughtering."^[3] Fear (Phobos) and Terror (Deimos) were yoked to his battle chariot.^[4] In the Iliad his father Zeus tells him that he is the god most hateful to him.^[5] An association with Ares endows places and objects with a savage, dangerous, or militarized quality.^[6] His value as a war god is even placed in doubt: during the Trojan War, Ares was on the losing side, while Athena, often depicted in Greek art as holding Nike (Victory) in her hand, favored the triumphant Greeks.^[7]

Ares plays a relatively limited role in Greek mythology as represented in literary narratives, though his numerous love affairs and abundant offspring are often alluded to.^[8] When Ares does appear in myths, he typically faces humiliation.^[9] He is well known as the lover of Aphrodite, the goddess of love who was married to Hephaestus, god of craftsmanship,^[10] but the most famous story involving the couple shows them exposed to ridicule through the wronged husband's clever device.^[11]

The counterpart of Ares among the Roman gods is Mars, who as a father of the Roman people held a more important and dignified place in ancient Roman religion for his agricultural and tutelary functions. During the Hellenization of Latin literature, the myths of Ares were reinterpreted by Roman writers under the name of Mars. Greek writers under Roman rule also recorded cult practices and beliefs pertaining to Mars under the name of Ares. Thus in the classical tradition of later Western art and literature, the mythology of the two figures becomes virtually indistinguishable.

Names and epithets[link]

The etymology of the name Ares is traditionally connected with the Greek word ἀρή (arē), the Ionic form of the Doric ἀρά (ara), "bane, ruin, curse, imprecation".^[12] There may also be a connection with the Roman god of war Mars, via hypothetical Proto-Indo-European *M̥rēs;^{[citation needed]} compare Ancient Greek μάρναμαι (marnamai), "to fight, to battle", or Punjabi maarna (to kill, to hit).^[13] The earliest attested form of the name is the Mycenaean Greek a-re, written in Linear B syllabic script.^[14] Walter Burkert notes that "Ares is apparently an ancient abstract noun meaning throng of battle, war."^[15]

The adjectival epithet Areios was frequently appended to the names of other gods when they take on a warrior aspect or become involved in warfare: Zeus Areios, Athena Areia, even Aphrodite Areia. In the Iliad, the word ares is used as a common noun synonymous with "battle."^[3]

Inscriptions as early as Mycenaean times, and continuing into the Classical period, attest to Enyalios, another name for the god of war.

Character, origins, and worship[link]

Ares was one of the Twelve Olympians in the archaic tradition represented by the Iliad and Odyssey, but Zeus expresses a recurring Greek revulsion toward the god when Ares returns wounded and complaining from the battlefield at Troy:

Then looking at him darkly Zeus who gathers the clouds spoke to him:
'Do not sit beside me and whine, you double-faced liar.
To me you are the most hateful of all gods who hold Olympos.
Forever quarrelling is dear to your heart, wars and battles.
…
And yet I will not long endure to see you in pain, since
you are my child, and it was to me that your mother bore you.
But were you born of some other god and proved so ruinous
long since you would have been dropped beneath the gods of the bright sky."^[16]

This ambivalence is expressed also in the god's association with the Thracians, who were regarded by the Greeks as a barbarous and warlike people.^[17] Thrace was Ares' birthplace, true home, and refuge after the affair with Aphrodite was exposed to the general mockery of the other gods.^[18]

A late 6th-century BC funerary inscription from Attica emphasizes the consequences of coming under Ares' sway:

Stay and mourn at the tomb of dead Kroisos
Whom raging Ares destroyed one day, fighting in the foremost ranks.^[19]

Ares in Sparta[link]

In Sparta, Ares was viewed as a masculine soldier in which his resilience, physical strength and military intelligence was unrivaled. Human sacrifices were also offered to him.^[20] Also, there was an ancient statue, representing the god in chains, to indicate that the martial spirit and victory were never to leave the city of Sparta.

Ares in the Arabian Peninsula[link]

Ares was also worshipped by the Baharna of Tylos, however it is not known in the form of which Arabian god or if he was worshipped in his Greek form.^[21]

Attributes[link]

The birds of Ares (Ornithes Areioi) were a flock of feather-dart-dropping birds that guarded the Amazons' shrine of the god on a coastal island in the Black Sea.^[22]

Cult and ritual[link]

Although Ares received occasional sacrifice from armies going to war, the god had a formal temple and cult at only a few sites.^[23] At Sparta, however, youths each sacrificed a puppy to Enyalios before engaging in ritual fighting at the Phoebaeum.^[24] The chthonic night-time sacrifice of a dog to Enyalios became assimilated to the cult of Ares.^{[citation needed]}

Just east of Sparta stood an archaic statue of the god in chains, to show that the spirit of war and victory was never to leave the city.^[25]

The temple to Ares in the agora of Athens that Pausanias saw in the second century AD had only been moved and rededicated there during the time of Augustus; in essence it was a Roman temple to the Augustan Mars Ultor.^[23] The Areopagus, the "mount of Ares" where Paul of Tarsus preached, is sited at some distance from the Acropolis; from archaic times it was a site of trials. Its connection with Ares, perhaps based on a false etymology, is purely etiological myth.^{[citation needed]} A second temple has also been located at the archaeological site of Metropolis in what is now Western Turkey.^{[citation needed]}

Attendants[link]

Deimos, "Terror" or "Dread", and Phobos, "Fear", are his companions in war^[26] and also his children, borne by Aphrodite, according to Hesiod.^[27] The sister^{[citation needed]} and companion of the violent Ares is Eris, the goddess of discord, or Enyo, the goddess of war, bloodshed, and violence. Enyalius, rather than another name for Ares, in at least one tradition was his son by Enyo.^[28]

Ares may also be accompanied by Kydoimos, the demon of the din of battle; the Makhai ("Battles"); thev "Hysminai" ("Acts of manslaughter"); Polemos, a minor spirit of war, or only an epithet of Ares, since it has no specific dominion; and Polemos's daughter, Alala, the goddess or personification of the Greek war-cry, whose name Ares uses as his own war-cry. Ares's sister Hebe, "Youth," also draws baths for him.

According to Pausanias, local inhabitants of Therapne, Sparta, recognized Thero "feral, savage" as a nurse of Ares.^[29]

Founding of Thebes[link]

One of the roles of Ares that was sited in mainland Greece itself was in the founding myth of Thebes: Ares was the progenitor of the water-dragon slain by Cadmus, for the dragon's teeth were sown into the ground as if a crop and sprung up as the fully armored autochthonic Spartoi. To propitiate Ares, Cadmus took as a bride Harmonia, daughter of Ares' union with Aphrodite, thus harmonizing all strife and founding the city of Thebes.^[30]

Consorts and children[link]

The Areopagus as viewed from the Acropolis.

The union of Ares and Aphrodite created the gods Eros, Anteros, Phobos, Deimos, Harmonia, and Adrestia. While Eros and Anteros' godly stations favored their mother, Adrestia by far preferred to emulate her father, often accompanying him to war.^{[citation needed]}

Ares, upon one occasion, incurred the anger of Poseidon by slaying his son Halirrhothius, who had raped Alcippe, another daughter of the war-god. For this deed, Poseidon summoned Ares to appear before the tribunal of the Olympic gods, which was held upon a hill in Athens. Ares was acquitted, and this event is supposed to have given rise to the name Areopagus (or Hill of Ares), which afterward became famous as a court of justice.^[31]

There are accounts of a son of Ares, Cycnus (Κύκνος) of Macedonia, who was so murderous that he tried to build a temple with the skulls and the bones of travellers. Heracles slaughtered this abominable monstrosity, engendering the wrath of Ares, whom the hero wounded.^[32]

List of Ares' consorts and children[link]

Hymns to Ares[link]

Homeric Hymn 8 to Ares (trans. Evelyn-White) (Greek epic C7th to 4th B.C.) 

"Ares, exceeding in strength, chariot-rider, golden-helmed, doughty in heart, shield-bearer, Saviour of cities, harnessed in bronze, strong of arm, unwearying, mighty with the spear, O defender of Olympos, father of warlike Nike (Victory), ally of Themis, stern governor of the rebellious, leader of the righteous men, sceptred King of manliness, who whirl your fiery sphere [the star Mars] among the planets in their sevenfold courses through the aither wherein your blazing steeds ever bear you above the third firmament of heaven; hear me, helper of men, giver of dauntless youth! Shed down a kindly ray from above upon my life, and strength of war, that I may be able to drive away bitter cowardice from my head and crush down the deceitful impulses of my soul. Restrain also the keen fury of my heart which provokes me to tread the ways of blood-curdling strife. Rather, O blessed one, give you me boldness to abide within the harmless laws of peace, avoiding strife and hatred and the violent fiends of death."

Orphic Hymn 65 to Ares (trans. Taylor) (Greek hymns C3rd B.C. to 2nd A.D.) 

"To Ares, Fumigation from Frankincense. Magnanimous, unconquered, boisterous Ares, in darts rejoicing, and in bloody wars; fierce and untamed, whose mighty power can make the strongest walls from their foundations shake: mortal-destroying king, defiled with gore, pleased with war’s dreadful and tumultuous roar. Thee human blood, and swords, and spears delight, and the dire ruin of mad savage fight. Stay furious contests, and avenging strife, whose works with woe embitter human life; to lovely Kyrpis [Aphrodite] and to Lyaios [Dionysos] yield, for arms exchange the labours of the field; encourage peace, to gentle works inclined, and give abundance, with benignant mind."

Other accounts[link]

The Ludovisi Ares, Roman version of a Greek original ca. 320 BC, with 17th-century restorations by Bernini

In the tale sung by the bard in the hall of Alcinous,^[45] the Sun-god Helios once spied Ares and Aphrodite enjoying each other secretly in the hall of Hephaestus, and he promptly reported the incident to Aphrodite's Olympian consort. Hephaestus contrived to catch the couple in the act, and so he fashioned a finely-knitted and nearly invisible net with which to snare the illicit lovers. At the appropriate time, this net was sprung, and trapped Ares and Aphrodite locked in very private embrace.^[46]

But Hephaestus was not yet satisfied with his revenge — he invited the Olympian gods and goddesses to view the unfortunate pair. For the sake of modesty, the goddesses demurred, but the male gods went to witness the sight. Some commented on the beauty of Aphrodite, others remarked that they would eagerly trade places with Ares, but all who were present mocked the two. Once the couple were loosed, Ares, embarrassed, returned to his homeland, Thrace.^[46]

In a much later interpolated detail, Ares put the youth Alectryon by his door to warn them of Helios' arrival, as Helios would tell Hephaestus of Aphrodite's infidelity if the two were discovered, but Alectryon fell asleep. Helios discovered the two and alerted Hephaestus. Ares was furious and turned Alectryon into a rooster, which now never forgets to announce the arrival of the sun in the morning.

Ares and the giants[link]

In one archaic myth related only in the Iliad by the goddess Dione to her daughter Aphrodite, two chthonic giants, the Aloadae, named Otus and Ephialtes, threw Ares into chains and put him in a bronze urn, where he remained for thirteen months, a lunar year. "And that would have been the end of Ares and his appetite for war, if the beautiful Eriboea, the young giants' stepmother, had not told Hermes what they had done," she related.^[47] "In this one suspects a festival of licence which is unleashed in the thirteenth month."^[48]

Ares remained screaming and howling in the urn until Hermes rescued him and Artemis tricked the Aloadae into slaying each other. In Nonnus' Dionysiaca^[49] Ares also killed Ekhidnades, the giant son of Echidna and a great enemy of the gods; it is not clear whether the nameless Ekhidnades ("of Echidna's lineage") was entirely Nonnus' invention or not.

The Iliad[link]

In the Iliad,^[50] Homer represented Ares as having no fixed allegiances, rewarding courage on both sides: he promised Athena and Hera that he would fight on the side of the Achaeans (Iliad V.830–834, XXI.410–414), but Aphrodite was able to persuade Ares to side with the Trojans. During the war, Diomedes fought with Hector and saw Ares fighting on the Trojans' side. Diomedes called for his soldiers to fall back slowly (V.590–605).

Athene, Ares's sister, saw his interference and asked Zeus, his father, for permission to drive Ares away from the battlefield, which Zeus granted (V.711–769). Hera and Athena encouraged Diomedes to attack Ares (V.780–834). Diomedes thrust with his spear at Ares, with Athena driving it home, and Ares' cries made Achaeans and Trojans alike tremble (V.855–864). Ares fled to Mt. Olympus, forcing the Trojans to fall back.

When Hera during a conversation with Zeus mentioned that Ares' son Ascalaphus was killed, Ares wanted to again join the fight on the side of the Achaeans disregarding Zeus' order that no Olympic god should enter the battle, but Athena stopped him (XV.110–128). Later, when Zeus allowed the gods to fight in the war again (XX.20–29), Ares was the first to act, attacking Athena to avenge himself for his previous injury, but Athena managed to overpower him by striking Ares with a boulder (XXI.391–408).

Renaissance[link]

In Renaissance and Neoclassical works of art, Ares' symbols are a spear and helmet, his animal is a dog, and his bird is the vulture. In literary works of these eras, Ares is replaced by the Roman Mars, a romantic emblem of manly valor rather than the cruel and blood-thirsty god of Greek mythology.

Popular culture[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Ares (god)

Ares figures in war-themed video games and in popular fictions. Ares is also the name of NASA's transport ship replacing the Space Shuttle, an extension of NASA's uses of Saturn for manned rockets, Mercury for a satellite program, and the Apollo program, rather than as any reflection of the intrinsic nature of the war god.

See also[link]

Related Greek Deities

• Aphrodite (Goddess of love)
• Hera (Mother )
• Zeus (Father)

Children by Aphrodite

• Harmonia (Concord)
• Eros (Passionate Love)
• Phobos (Fear)
• Deimos (Terror)
• Adrestia (Revenge)
• Anteros (Requited Love)

Friends and Counselors

• Themis (Divine Law)
• Nike (Victory)
• Dike (Good Judgement)

Attendants

• Achlys (Death)
• Androktasiai (Slaughter)
• Alala (War Cry)
• Eris (Strife)
• Enyo (Violence)
• Hebe (Life)
• Homados (Battle Din)
• Hysminai (Combat)
• Kydoimos (Confusion)
• Keres (Death Spirits)
• Makhai (Spirits of Battle)
• Palioxis (Backrush)
• Polemos (War)
• Proioxis (Onrush)

Similar Deities in Non-Greek Cultures

• Britannia
• Kathleen Ni Houlihan
• Liberty
• Mars
• Nergal, Babylonian god associated with the planet Mars
• Tyr, a Norse god of war
• List of War Deities

Archetype Characteristics

• Aggression
• Courage
• Boldness
• Divine law
• Freedom
• Masculinity
• Righteous indignation

Notes[link]