Miles O'Brien Biography

Fast Facts

• Served on the board of the NASA Advisory Council's Education and Outreach Commitee from 2009 until 2011
• Became a member of the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association in 1988 shortly after securing his license
• In 1982, he joined the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, or AFTRA
• Majored in history at Georgetown University
• In early 2014, while packing news equipment into a truck while on assignment in Asia, he would injure his left forearm so much that he would soon develop acute compartment syndrome and have to have the limb amputated a few weeks later
• Just prior to graduation from Georgetown, he was offered his first on-air position with WRC in Washington, D․C․
• Quote: "[After losing his left arm] "Life is about playing the hand that is dealt you․ Actually, I would love somebody to deal me another hand right about now, in more ways than one․""
• Joined CNN in 1992, where he would eventually cover various topics regarding science, space and aviation, among others
• After leaving CNN in 2008, he would go on to work as an independent journalist before eventually starting Miles O'Brien Productions
• Interested in space flight since his early days at CNN, he would co-found the podcast, Science Nation, along with help from the National Science Foundation in 2009
• An avid aviator, he received his private pilot's license in 1988 after growing up learning the trade from his father and grandfather