Viewers around the world tuned in to witness Curiosity's "seven minutes of terror" and then cheered along with NASA scientists and engineers in mission control when news finally arrived that the landing was successful.

We caught up with Curiosity's chief scientist John Grotzinger during an anniversary celebration event at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California on Monday to ask him what the past year has been like, what still lies ahead for Curiosity's scientific mission, and how the rover is helping lay the groundwork for a manned mission to Mars. (Related: "Curiosity Finds Evidence for a Habitable Ancient Mars.")

The landing and the launch—those were all thrills. There was one very special opportunity, though. The night before launch,