President Obama wants a NASA mohawk

The highlight of President Barack Obama's congratulatory call to NASA's Mars rover team Monday was when the president said he wanted a mohawk too, but there was plenty more to the talk, and now that the transcript is online you can peruse it at your leisure. The president thanked the team, promised to protect "critical investments in science and technology," and asked to be kept abreast if they found any aliens.

But the most entertaining part of the conversation came with his mention of "Mohawk Guy," also known as the Internet-famous Bobak Ferdowsi, whose haircut has helped make him one of the most recognized members of the rover team:

I understand there's a special Mohawk Guy that's working on the mission. (Laughter.) He's been one of the many stars of the show last Sunday night. And I, in the past, thought about getting a Mohawk myself -- (laughter) -- but my team keeps on discouraging me. 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. (Laughter.)