When footage emerged of Nasa’s scientists celebrating the touch-down of the Mars rover Curiosity, there were no surprises with regards to their looks and fashion sense.
They all looked fairly sciencey, with unremarkable haircuts and blue and beige T-shirts and trousers.
But then a photograph emerged of one Nasa expert who stood out from the crowd – Bobak Ferdowsi.
Hair we go: Bobak Ferdowsi and his rock-star haircut
Unusually for a rocket scientist, he sported a multi-coloured mowhawk.
Some readers may have been forgiven for thinking that he wasn’t a rocket scientist at all, but an an intruder from a rock band.
But no, he really is a boffin. In fact, he’s a flight director on the Curiosity program and according to AP arranges his follicles differently for each mission.
His startling haircut, not surprisingly, immediately made him an internet hit – he’s now called Mohawk Guy - with hundreds of users submitting mohawk designs to Tumblr.
He’s also gained a few extra Twitter followers. We don’t know how many it used to be, but it’s unlikely the number stood at 32,000.
One meme summed it all up: “Becomes an internet sensation. Too busy landing a robot on Mars to notice.”
In an interview with whatstrending.com, Mr Ferdowsi described the landing of the Curiosity as “a seminal moment”.
And he described the attention he’s been getting as “crazy” and hopes that his mohawk will prompt more people to take an interest in science.