NASA’s Mohawk Guy Gains Popularity Similar to Rover

The web has gone wild with NASA's successful launch of the Mars Rover and its team celebrating the incredible feat of landing its Curiosity. Amongst all the blue-shirted NASA workers, one man stood out from the rest.  That was Bobak Ferdowsi, flight director for the Mars Science Laboratory Curiosity mission. He is the Internet's newest viral star, trending hot on Twitter for his red-tinged Mohawk haircut, yellow stars dyed above the ear and a big beaming smile that followed the landing of Curiosity.

Ferdowsi was part of NASA's team, guiding and monitoring the rover's every move until it successfully touched down on the red planet Aug. 6.

Viewers quickly took to the Internet and social media to share their appreciation for the "mohawk guy." In less than 24 hours, Ferdowski has gone from having a few hundred Twitter followers to more than 25,000.

Sources quote Bobak as saying, he was tied up with the Jet Propulsion Laboratory for nine years and he describes his job as a real life version of the Apollo 13 movie. When he initiated his project in 2003, he was part of a 50-people team at JPL and after joining NASA, there are nearly 3,500 people working on the mission.

Bobak, who was rejoicing the successful launch, was puzzled after the remarkable event as his phone was bombarded with hundreds of emails and Facebook friend requests. He was unaware of how his unique style had grabbed him such immediate popularity. 

"It's a little surreal," Ferdowsi told NBC News. "I'm still just getting over the 'We're on Mars' thing. That's the thing I can't believe."

According to NBC News, he sports a new 'do for each space mission that he works on. The suggestions are settled by a poll among his co-workers. For Curiosity's landing, several potential hairstyles were in the running.

Ferdowsi, who graduated from the University of Washington with a bachelor's degree in Aeronautics and Astronautics and then went on to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, acknowledges his new-found fame.

Ferdowsi said while the attention to his hair has been nice, he hopes it reminds people that Monday's historic mission was a team effort, requiring the contributions of all different types of people.

He concludes saying that, "If it inspires young kids and other people to get interested in engineering, sciences and math, I would be so honored and proud to be a part of that