Deep Space 5 ... Dollars

Don't look now, but NASA just landed a spacecraft on Mars. Somehow, news of the landing broke Monday and Tuesday with (more or less) zero fanfare. Which is odd, considering that we just completed a successful process that involves flinging a spacecraft way up into the exosphere, piloting it across hundreds of millions of miles of deep space, and safely getting it down to surface, intact and fully functional, of an entirely different planet.

Sure, none of that is technically unprecedented. Not only have human-assembled and human-deployed spacecraft been to Mars before, but Jessica Chastain once went there to rescue Matt Damon after he was accidentally left behind in a tiny research station for a couple of years. So yeah, we're probably all understandably jaded about the fact that — Whoop-de-frickin-doo! — there's another spacecraft made by humans preparing to explore the surface of Mars.

Except that, no, not whoop-de-frickin-doo. It's actually still pretty astounding and amazing that travel to entirely different planets — if not technically yet accomplished with humans along for the ride — is a thing that we can do. And what makes it all possible is science, especially computer science. Yeah, baby, information technology (IT) plays a huge role in sending stuff to other planets. Exploration is happening on the surface of Mars right now because of IT.

So yeah, sometimes computer stuff gets a nerdy rap, but never forget that some of humanity's most impressive achievements are built on (and with) our ever-evolving understanding of IT. Not only that, but any one of us can contribute by acquiring IT skills and knowledge and jumping into the global IT workforce. The future that once belonged exclusively to fictional shows like Star Trek and movies like The Martian is starting to take shape before our eyes.

If you find that exciting or stirring, then here's something else to get your emotions riled: Right now, TestOut Continuing Education is selling full access to our entire training library for just $5 (first month only)! That's right, the Black Friday sale that became the Cyber Monday sale is still happening! Are you ready to reach for the stars and help expand humanity's horizons? All you need is just $5 to get started. Let our training take you to infinity ... and beyond!