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GLaDOS explains nuclear fusion for NASA

Ellen McLain, voice of GLaDOS, once again enters the evil, voice-modulated fray — this time in an educational video for NASA.

Michelle Starr Science editor
Michelle Starr is CNET's science editor, and she hopes to get you as enthralled with the wonders of the universe as she is. When she's not daydreaming about flying through space, she's daydreaming about bats.
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Michelle Starr

Ellen McLain, voice of GLaDOS, once again enters the evil, voice-modulated fray — this time in an educational video for NASA.

(Credit: Valve)

This is the best thing. The best. Imagine if GLaDOS had amnesia and went to work for NASA with a pair of ... well, idiots, and this is what you might get.

The video was created as part of NASA's educational outreach program at the Spitzer Space Telescope, which focuses on STEM education. In the video, a new AI is installed by two NASA technicians, only to discover that its nefarious plans to conquer the world thwarted by a raft of yet-uninstalled systems, leading to a simple, yet fascinating explanation of nuclear fusion, as occurs on the sun, and how it differs from nuclear fission.

If GLaDOS becomes the new voice of NASA's educational videos, we're about to learn a whole lot more about space.