Mohawk Guy Provides Update on Curiosity Rover

By Nancy Atkinson - August 18, 2012 01:23 AM UTC | Planetary Science

JPL's Bobak Ferdowsi -- famous for the star-spangled Mohawk hairdo he sported on Curiosity's landing night -- provides an update on what the newest Mars rover has been up to (checking out instruments) and how next week should include big moments like the first test drive and firing up that laser.

In addition to great hair, Ferdowsi is a Flight Director for the Curiosity rover team.

Ferdowsi in JPL's Mission Control during Curiosity's landing.

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Nancy Atkinson

Nancy Atkinson is a space journalist and author with a passion for telling the stories of people involved in space exploration and astronomy. She is currently retired from daily writing, but worked at Universe Today for 20 years as a writer and editor. She also contributed articles to The Planetary Society, Ad Astra (National Space Society), New Scientist and many other online outlets.

Her 2019 book, "Eight Years to the Moon: The History of the Apollo Missions,” shares the untold stories of engineers and scientists who worked behind the scenes to make the Apollo program so successful, despite the daunting odds against it. Her first book “Incredible Stories From Space: A Behind-the-Scenes Look at the Missions Changing Our View of the Cosmos” (2016) tells the stories of 37 scientists and engineers that work on several current NASA robotic missions to explore the solar system and beyond.

Nancy is also a NASA/JPL Solar System Ambassador, and through this program, she has the opportunity to share her passion of space and astronomy with children and adults through presentations and programs. Nancy's personal website is nancyatkinson.com