Jacob Jake Matijevic (1947-2012), of Croatian origin, PhD in Mathematics from the University of Chicago, was NASA engineer and a father of Curiosty rover which successfully landed on the planet Mars in 2012. NASA named several landmarks, including “Matijevic Hill” and “Jake Matijevic” rock, for him on the planet Mars.

Dr. Jacob Jake Matijevic died a few weeks after his rover landed on Mars.