PASADENA -- Say goodbye to the pocket protector-wearing, un-sexy rocket scientist and say hello to JPL's Satish Krishnan, one of America's "top 50 bachelors."

Krishnan, 26, is featured in this week's People magazine with 49 other "Sexy, Single and Sizzling" guys. The pickings run the gamut from celebrity bachelors such as Ben Affleck and George Clooney to everyday guys including a cowboy, a cop and a dinosaur hunter.

"Mostly we were looking for guys that had a quality that set them apart from the pack," People staff writer Galina Espinoza said.

It took People six months to select 50 guys who were cute, single and successful, she added.

"Not all of the guys are drop-dead gorgeous. What we found is that looks are not the top priority for women," Espinoza said.

Apparently Krishnan has it all. Born in Algeria, he has lived in Canada and Indonesia and has a passion for traveling and soccer.

He's been a vegetarian for six years.

"It's an ethical thing for me," Krishnan told People. "I just don't want to kill anything."

A University of Pennsylvania graduate, the 5-foot-10-inch mechanical engineer moved to Pasadena five years ago when he went to work for the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. He's part of the team working on the twin rovers due for launch to Mars in 2003.

Krishnan did not seek out his current celebrity status. A woman friend wrote to People about him and sent in a picture.

"I kind of laughed, thinking yeah, whatever," Krishnan said. Before he knew it, he was lunching with a People reporter and posing for photographs in JPL's famed "Mars Yard."

"I'm just kind of laughing at it. I'm getting calls and e-mails from people that I haven't talked to in years. It's kind of humorous," he said.

The issue hit newsstands Friday and it didn't take long for women to find him. Krishnan received e-mails from lonely ladies that same day.

"Every time he receives a random e-mail from a woman we all run in there and have to look it over," said Krishnan's co-worker, Annette Nasif. "He wrote back to one so far and we'll see what happens."

People in the office got a kick out of Krishnan's newfound status as an eligible hunk.

"We've been teasing him constantly. His face turns bright red. It's great," Nasif said. "He's very embarrassed about all the publicity he's receiving. But he has a great sense of humor and is taking it very well."

Despite the sudden attention from the opposite sex, Krishnan said he's not necessarily searching for love.

"I'm not really looking for that. In fact I kind of asked myself, 'Why am I doing this?' " he said. "I don't really have a good answer for that except that this is something pretty unusual and the opportunity won't come again. So why not just have fun with it?"