Editing IBM RAD6000

{{Primary sources|date=March 2020}}
{{Infobox CPU
| name                      = RAD6000
| image                     = File:RAD6000.jpg
| image_size                = frameless{{!}}upright=1.25{{!}}100px
| caption                   = The RAD6000 processor
| produced-start            = 1995
| slowest                   = 2.5 | slow-unit                 = MHz
| fastest                   = 66 | fast-unit                 = MHz
| fsb-slowest               =
| fsb-fastest               =
| fsb-slow-unit             =
| fsb-fast-unit             =
| hypertransport-slowest    =
| hypertransport-fastest    =
| hypertransport-slow-unit  =
| hypertransport-fast-unit  =
| size-from                 = 0.5 μm
| size-to                   = 
| soldby                    =  [[BAE Systems Inc.|BAE Systems]]
| designfirm                = [[IBM]]
| manuf1                    =  [[BAE Systems Inc.|BAE Systems]]
| core1                     =
| sock1                     =
| pack1                     =
| brand1                    =
| arch                      = [[POWER1]]
| microarch                 =
| cpuid                     =
| code                      =
| numcores                  = 1
| l1cache                   = 8 KB
| l2cache                   = 
| l3cache                   = 
| predecessor            =
| successor                = [[RAD750]]
| application               = [[Radiation hardening|Radiation hardened]] for use in [[spacecraft]]
}}

{{POWER, PowerPC, and Power ISA}}

The '''RAD6000''' [[radiation hardening|radiation-hardened]] [[single-board computer]], based on the [[IBM]] [[RISC Single Chip]] [[central processing unit|CPU]], was manufactured by [[IBM Federal Systems]]. IBM Federal Systems was sold to [[Loral Space & Communications|Loral]], and by way of acquisition, ended up with [[Lockheed Martin]] and is currently a part of [[BAE Systems Electronics, Intelligence & Support|BAE Systems Electronic Systems]]. RAD6000 is mainly known as the [[avionics|onboard]] computer of numerous [[NASA]] [[spacecraft]].

==History==
The radiation-hardening of the original RSC 1.1&nbsp;million-[[transistor]] [[microprocessor|processor]] to make the RAD6000's CPU was done by IBM Federal Systems Division working with the [[Air Force Research Laboratory]].{{cn|date=August 2020}}

{{As of|2008|June}}, there are 200 RAD6000 processors in space on a variety of NASA, [[United States Department of Defense]] and commercial spacecraft, including:
* [[Mars Exploration Rover]]s ([[Spirit (rover)|''Spirit'']] and [[Opportunity (rover)|''Opportunity'']])
* [[Deep Space 1]] probe
* [[Mars Polar Lander]] and [[Mars Climate Orbiter]]
* [[Mars Odyssey]] orbiter
* [[Spitzer Space Telescope|Spitzer Infrared Telescope Facility]]
* [[MESSENGER]] probe to Mercury
* [[STEREO]] Spacecraft
* [[IMAGE (spacecraft)|IMAGE/Explorer 78]] MIDEX spacecraft
* ''[[Genesis (spacecraft)|Genesis]]'' and ''[[Stardust (spacecraft)|Stardust]]'' sample return missions
* ''[[Phoenix (spacecraft)|Phoenix]]'' Mars Polar Lander
* ''[[Dawn (spacecraft)|Dawn]]'' Mission to the asteroid belt using ion propulsion
* [[Solar Dynamics Observatory]], Launched Feb 11, 2010 (flying both RAD6000 and [[RAD750]])<ref>[https://archive.today/20120913122306/http://www.reuters.com/finance/stocks/keyDevelopments?rpc=66&symbol=BAESY.PK&timestamp=20100217165200 Latest BAE Press Releases ]</ref>{{failed verification|date=February 2019}}
* Burst Alert Telescope Image Processor on board the [[Swift Gamma-Ray Burst Mission]] 
* DSCOVR [[Deep Space Climate Observatory]] spacecraft

The computer has a maximum clock rate of 33&nbsp;[[megahertz|MHz]] and a processing speed of about 35&nbsp;[[Million instructions per second|MIPS]].<ref name="RAD6000brochure">{{cite news|title=RAD6000 Space Computers |publisher=BAE Systems |url=http://www.baesystems.com/BAEProd/groups/public/documents/bae_publication/bae_pdf_eis_sfrwre.pdf |date=2008-06-23 |access-date=2009-09-07 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091004130528/http://www.baesystems.com/BAEProd/groups/public/documents/bae_publication/bae_pdf_eis_sfrwre.pdf |archive-date=2009-10-04 }}</ref> In addition to the CPU itself, the RAD6000 has 128&nbsp;[[megabyte|MB]] of [[ECC memory|ECC RAM]].<ref name="RAD6000brochure"/> A typical [[RTOS|real-time operating system]] running on NASA's RAD6000 installations is [[VxWorks]].  The Flight boards in the above systems have switchable clock rates of 2.5, 5, 10, or 20&nbsp;MHz.

Reported to have a unit cost somewhere between US$200,000 and US$300,000, RAD6000 computers were released for sale in the general commercial market in 1996.

The RAD6000's successor is the [[RAD750]] processor, based on IBM's [[PowerPC 7xx|PowerPC 750]].

==See also==
* [[IBM RS/6000]]
* [[PowerPC 601]], a consumer chip with similar computing capabilities to the RAD6000

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*[https://archive.today/20060430002517/http://www.securityfocus.net/news/7894 Software on Mars rovers 'space qualified'] &ndash; By Matthew Fordahl/AP, 23 January 2004
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20090227014807/http://www.kirtland.af.mil/shared/media/document/AFD-070404-100.pdf AFRL Rad6000 fact sheet]
*[http://news.oreilly.com/2008/07/the-software-behind-the-mars-p.html Software Behind the Mars Phoenix Lander (Audio Interview)]
* [http://www.cpushack.com/space-craft-cpu.html The CPUs of Spacecraft Computers in Space]

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ibm Rad6000}}
[[Category:Avionics computers]]
[[Category:IBM avionics computers|RAD6000]]
[[Category:Radiation-hardened microprocessors]]
[[Category:American inventions]]
[[Category:Computer-related introductions in 1996]]