Presidential inaugurations are big deals, and tend to attract high-profile stars like Beyonc�, Jay-Z and Bruce Springsteen who are eager to rub elbows with the newly inaugurated commander-in-chief. But next week, a very unusual celebrity will be appearing in President Obama�s parade: the NASA scientist known as �Mohawk Guy.�
Bobak Ferdowsi, who earned the�love and admiration of nerds everywhere�as the vertically coiffed activity lead for NASA�s mission to Mars, will be rolling with his fellow scientists in Obama�s�inaugural parade on Jan. 21�and a full-scale model of the Curiosity rover that they safely landed on Mars in August of last year, as well as a life-size replica of the�new Orion capsule.�And in true Ferdowsi fashion, he�s also�planning a new haircut�for the event � but all he�s saying right now is that it will be a �surprise.�

�I can�t tell you [what it is], but it�s going to be something fun for the occasion, I think it�s going to be fun for everyone there,� Ferdowsi said in an interview with Wired. �It�ll be something related to the event going on, that�s all I�m going to say.�

Since so much of what the public knows about Curiosity comes from the images it beams back from space, Ferdowsi said the parade floats might actually be a good way for people to get a real-life sense of what the Mars rover is.

�I�ve seen some sketches and they look pretty cool � I think the Curiosity one is going to be on some Martian terrain,� Ferdowsi said. �When you see us standing next to it you�ll realize how big it is, I think that�s what�s cool.�

But what�s more likely to draw attention will be the awesome scientist with the cool hair, who became a�massive online meme�after images of Ferdowsi went online during the rover�s nail-biting Mars landing. There�s even a chance Ferdowsi�s surprise hairstyle could even get a nod from the president himself, who�commented after the rover landing�that �it does seem NASA has come a long way from the white shirts, dark-rimmed glasses, and pocket protectors. You guys are a little cooler than you used to be.�

Ferdowsi, for his part, hopes his presence at the parade will provide the opportunity for more people to get a taste of the projects that NASA does on a daily basis.

�It will be a fun opportunity to highlight some of the cool things that NASA is doing, including Curiosity,� Ferdowsi said. �[It's] a way of showing a larger audience what we�re up to.�

By Wired

 

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