computer science

IBM RAD6000

IBM RAD6000 is a computer science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand IBM RAD6000 rather than just read about it. In short: The RAD6000 radiation-hardened single-board computer, based on the IBM RISC Single Chip CPU, was manufactured by IBM Federal Systems. IBM Federal Systems was sold to Loral, and by way of acquisition, ended up with Lockheed Martin and is currently a part of BAE Systems Electronic Systems.

Key takeaways

IBM RAD6000 belongs to computer science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect IBM RAD6000 to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of IBM RAD6000 from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

The RAD6000 radiation-hardened single-board computer, based on the IBM RISC Single Chip CPU, was manufactured by IBM Federal Systems. IBM Federal Systems was sold to Loral, and by way of acquisition, ended up with Lockheed Martin and is currently a part of BAE Systems Electronic Systems. RAD6000 is mainly known as the onboard computer of numerous NASA spacecraft.

History The radiation-hardening of the original RSC 1.1 million-transistor processor to make the RAD6000's CPU was done by IBM Federal Systems Division working with the Air Force Research Laboratory. As of June 2008, there are 200 RAD6000 processors in space on a variety of NASA, United States Department of Defense and commercial spacecraft, including:

Mars Exploration Rovers (Spirit and Opportunity) Deep Space 1 probe Mars Polar Lander and Mars Climate Orbiter Mars Odyssey orbiter Spitzer Infrared Telescope Facility MESSENGER probe to Mercury STEREO Spacecraft IMAGE/Explorer 78 MIDEX spacecraft Genesis and Stardust sample return missions Phoenix Mars Polar Lander Dawn Mission to the asteroid belt using ion propulsion Solar Dynamics Observatory, Launched Feb 11, 2010 (flying both RAD6000 and RAD750) 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 MHz and a processing speed of about 35 MIPS. In addition to the CPU itself, the RAD6000 has 128 MB of ECC RAM. A typical 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 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 750.

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

References

External links Software on Mars rovers 'space qualified' – By Matthew Fordahl/AP, 23 January 2004 AFRL Rad6000 fact sheet Software Behind the Mars Phoenix Lander (Audio Interview) The CPUs of Spacecraft Computers in Space

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with IBM RAD6000

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what IBM RAD6000 claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In computer science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to IBM RAD6000 before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about IBM RAD6000 ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of IBM RAD6000

In research: IBM RAD6000 appears in computer science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses IBM RAD6000 in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: IBM RAD6000 is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics American inventions, Avionics computers, Computer-related introductions in 1996, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for IBM RAD6000 outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

Affiliate

Preply — study more efficiently by working with a personal tutor. 50% off.

How to study IBM RAD6000 in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what IBM RAD6000 means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain IBM RAD6000 out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is IBM RAD6000 in simple terms?

Why does IBM RAD6000 matter?

Because it connects several computer science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study IBM RAD6000?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on IBM RAD6000.