Full Episode
Wednesday, Sep 10
PBS NewsHour
  • Episodes
  • Podcasts
  • Newsletters
  • The Latest
  • Politics
    Politics
    • Brooks and Capehart
    • Politics Monday
    • Supreme Court
  • Arts
    Arts
    • CANVAS
    • Poetry
    • Now Read This
  • Nation
    Nation
    • Supreme Court
    • Race Matters
    • Essays
    • Brief But Spectacular
  • World
    World
    • Agents for Change
  • Economy
    Economy
    • Making Sen$e
    • Paul Solman
  • Science
    Science
    • The Leading Edge
    • ScienceScope
    • Basic Research
    • Innovation and Invention
  • Health
    Health
    • Long-Term Care
  • Education
    Education
    • Teachers' Lounge
    • Student Reporting Labs
  • For Teachers
    Education
    • Newshour Classroom
  • About
    • Feedback
    • Funders
    • Support
    • Jobs

You asked for news you can trust.

We deliver with clarity and context.
Donate now
PBS News

Get news alerts from PBS News

Turn on desktop notifications?

Miles O'Brien

  • Full Episodes
  • Podcasts
  • Newsletters
  • Live
Miles O'Brien

About Miles @milesobrien

Miles O’Brien is a veteran, independent journalist who focuses on science, technology and aerospace.

He is the science correspondent for the PBS News Hour, a producer, director, writer and correspondent for the PBS documentary programs NOVA and FRONTLINE and an aviation analyst for CNN. He owns MOBIAS Media, Inc., a production company that creates award winning documentary films primarily for PBS as well as several educational and corporate clients.

For nearly seventeen of his thirty-nine years in the news business, he was a staff correspondent and anchor with CNN, based in Atlanta and New York. He served as the science, environment and aerospace correspondent and the anchor of various programs, including American Morning.

While at CNN, O’Brien 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. He later served for ten years as a member of the NASA Advisory Council, offering strategic advice to the NASA administrator.

Prior to joining CNN, he worked as a reporter at television stations in St. Joseph, MO, Albany, NY, Tampa, FL and Boston. 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 six Emmys, a Peabody and a DuPont.

He has produced, written and directed nine films for PBS NOVA: Mind of a Rampage Killer (2013), Manhunt Boston Bombers (2013), Megastorm Aftermath (2013), Why Planes Vanish (2014), Nuclear Meltdown Disaster (2015), Fifteen Years of Terror (2016), The Nuclear Option (2017), Inside the Megafire (2019) and The Great Electric Airplane Race (2021).

He also produced, wrote and directed FRONTLINE Coronavirus Pandemic (2020) and was a writer and correspondent for four FRONTLINES: Flying Cheap (2010), Flying Cheaper (2011), Nuclear Aftershocks (2012) and Dollars and Dentists (2012).

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. Despite the loss of his arm, he has completed two marathons, several ultra-distance bike rides, a half Ironman, and has returned to flying airplanes.

Born in Detroit and raised in Grosse Pointe Farms, MI, he is based in Vero Beach, Florida. He was a history major at Georgetown University. Miles has two grown children. His son is a US Navy Lieutenant stationed in Catania, Italy and his daughter is a social worker in New York City.

Full Bio

Miles’s Recent Stories

Health Feb 23

Why the vaccine rollout in the U.S. has been slower than expected

So far, 65 million Americans have received at least one shot of either the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines. As a country, the U.S. has recently picked up the pace of vaccinations, but there are concerns over supply and demand, which…

Science Feb 18

NASA rover lands on Mars, resuming search for remnants of life

The U.S. is back on the Red Planet after a nearly 300-million-mile journey. NASA celebrated late Thursday afternoon when it landed its latest rover on Mars. The rover is designed to explore new areas of the planet and look for…

Science Feb 17

5 things you should know about the Mars 2020 mission

Perseverance is expected to land on the Red Planet Thursday after a seven-month journey. Science correspondent Miles O'Brien previews the nailbiter landing, what scientists are hoping to learn, and the innovations on board.

Science Feb 17

NASA sets ambitious goals for latest mission to Mars

If all goes according to plan, the United States will land its most advanced rover ever on Mars on Thursday, nearly 300-million miles from where it lifted off last year. It is a daunting task, one that will set up…

Politics Nov 18

Behind the ballots in Georgia’s recount — the largest in U.S. history

As President Trump presses forward with legal challenges to the election and reiterates false claims that he won, Georgia has been in the spotlight due to its massive statewide recount. The deadline for completing the recount is approaching -- and…

Science Nov 16

The risks and rewards of Operation Warp Speed’s approach to vaccines

The race to develop vaccine candidates to prevent COVID-19 represents an unprecedented national and global effort. President Trump and some public health experts say encouraging early results from Pfizer and Moderna suggest the approach is working. But there are also…

Politics Nov 06

In an unprecedented election, two key swing states show how we got here

Election Day has come and gone, but there are still many unanswered questions, along with uncertainty about how we got here and where we go next. In this episode, we talk to our reporters who have been covering this election…

Nation Oct 26

Will Georgia’s new voting machines solve election problems — or make them worse?

Protecting the American voting process from outside interference is a top priority this election season. But public and political opinion are divided over the best voting systems to prevent tampering. Miles O’Brien takes a look at the latest technology being…

Nation Oct 14

What election officials think about paper ballots and voting machines

During this election, early and absentee voting are expected to reach record levels, with mail-in ballots drawing significant attention as a result. President Trump has repeatedly claimed, without evidence, that voting by mail is not safe or reliable -- but…

Politics Sep 24

Trump says voting by mail isn’t reliable. What does the evidence show?

President Trump’s refusal to commit to a peaceful transition of power is tied to his criticism and false statements about voting by mail, which is expected to reach record levels in this election. Trump insists it can't be trusted --…

Jump to the First Page Previous Page
1 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 21
Next Page Jump to the Last Page

Support Provided By: Learn more

Educate your inbox

Subscribe to Here’s the Deal, our politics newsletter for analysis you won’t find anywhere else.

Form error message goes here.

Thank you. Please check your inbox to confirm.

PBS News

© 1996 - 2025 NewsHour Productions LLC. All Rights Reserved.

PBS is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization.

Sections

  • The Latest
  • Politics
  • Arts
  • Nation
  • World
  • Economy
  • Science
  • Health
  • Education

About

  • About Us
  • TV Schedule
  • Press
  • Feedback
  • Funders
  • Support
  • Newsletters
  • Podcasts
  • Jobs
  • Privacy
  • Terms of Use

Stay Connected

  • Facebook
  • YouTube
  • Instagram
  • X
  • TikTok
  • Threads
  • RSS

Subscribe to Here's the Deal with Lisa Desjardins

Form error message goes here.

Thank you. Please check your inbox to confirm.

Support our journalism

Support for News Hour Provided By

  • BDO
  • BNSF Railway
  • Consumer Cellular
  • Raymond James
  • Viewers Like You