Obama inspired by Mars rover mission's 'Mohawk Guy'

"I, in the past, thought about getting a mohawk myself, but my team keeps on discouraging me," Obama told scientists at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in a phone call on Monday broadcast on NASA TV.

"And now that he's received marriage proposals and thousands of new Twitter followers, I think that I'm going to go back to my team and see if it makes sense," he was quoted as saying by the CNN.

'Mohawk Guy', whose real name is Bobak Ferdowsi, a Mars rover flight director became famous for his look during the rover landing last week.

As the world waited for Curiosity to touch down, Ferdowsi sported a red-and-black mohawk with yellow stars dyed on the sides of his head.

"It does sound like NASA has come a long way from the white-shirt, black dark-rimmed glasses and the pocket protectors," Obama told Jet Propulsion Laboratory Director Charles Elachi and colleagues.

"You guys are a little cooler than you used to be," he said.

Obama also congratulated the team of NASA scientists, who successfully sent 'Curiosity' mission to Mars, calling it a "mind-boggling" accomplishment.