The recovery shuttle touched down at Kennedy Space Centre and was towed into the Mars Reception Building. The Ares-III crew finally returned to Earth to a heroes welcome. NASA administrator Teddy Sanders was in the welcome party, he presented all six members of the crew with the Congressional Space Medal of Honour. There was also a video chat with the President of the United States, she welcomed them all home on behalf of the world, as Commander in Chief she also announced that Commander Melissa Lewis USN was now Captain Lewis and that Major Rick Martinez USAF was now Colonel Martinez.
On day two the Ares-III finally got to meet their families after being apart for so long. The next day the families went away and the Ares-III continued with their post-flight debrief session. The recovery shuttle which returned the Ares-III crew to Earth left behind the first of a series of maintenance crews who would refurbish and repair Hermes systems in time for the next Ares mission. The Ares-III crew had a lot to discuss with the maintenance crew!
A month after their return to Earth the Ares-III were finally allowed to leave the Mars Reception Building and return to their families. Mark Watney released a statement to the press.
Dear Media People
I am very happy to return to Earth and I am incredibly grateful to all the people who worked so hard to bring me home. Before you all ask, yes it was very lonely all by myself on Mars. Now I am back home I plan to become a potato farmer in Idaho.
Watney.
The whole crew went to thank all the NASA people who helped, especially those at Mission Control and at the JPL. Captain Lewis and Colonel Martinez went to China to thank the Chinese Space Agency and to interview potential Chinese astronaut candidates for the Ares-V mission.