As planet warms, scientists explore ‘far out’ ways to reduce atmospheric CO2 | Miles O'Brien Productions

Miles O’Brien

Miles’ 16 hour marathon live coverage of the loss of the shuttle Columbia and her crew, 2003.
Miles O’Brien at age 12, flying with his father in 1971.

Miles O’Brien is a veteran, award-winning journalist who focuses on science, technology, aerospace and the environment.

He is the science correspondent for PBS NewsHour, a producer and director for the PBS science documentary series NOVA, and a correspondent for the PBS documentary series FRONTLINE.

For nearly seventeen of his thirty-five years in the news business, he worked for CNN as the science, environment and aerospace space correspondent and the anchor of various programs, including American Morning.

While at CNN, he secured a deal with NASA to become the first journalist to fly on the space shuttle. The project ended with the loss of Columbia and her crew in 2003 – a story he told to the world in a critically acclaimed sixteen-hour marathon of live coverage.

Prior to joining CNN, he worked as a reporter at television stations in Boston, Tampa, Albany, NY and St. Joseph, MO. He began his television career as a desk assistant at WRC-TV in Washington, DC.

O’Brien is an accomplished pilot and is frequently called upon to explain the world of aviation to a mass audience. He has won numerous awards over the years, including a half-dozen Emmys, and a Peabody and DuPont for his coverage of Hurricane Katrina and its aftermath.

In February of 2014, a heavy equipment case fell on his forearm while he was on assignment. He developed Acute Compartment Syndrome, which necessitated the emergency amputation of his left arm above the elbow.

Born in Detroit and raised in Grosse Pointe Farms, MI, Miles spends most of his time traveling the globe to deliver the most articulate, relevant, and timely news on Climate, Environment, Science, Technology, Space and Aviation. 

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