computer science

RAD750

RAD750 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 RAD750 rather than just read about it. In short: The RAD750 is a radiation-hardened single-board computer manufactured by BAE Systems Electronics, Intelligence & Support. The successor of the RAD6000, the RAD750 is for use in high-radiation environments experienced on board satellites and spacecraft.

Key takeaways

RAD750 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 RAD750 to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of RAD750 from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

The RAD750 is a radiation-hardened single-board computer manufactured by BAE Systems Electronics, Intelligence & Support. The successor of the RAD6000, the RAD750 is for use in high-radiation environments experienced on board satellites and spacecraft. The RAD750 was released in 2001, with the first units launched into space in 2005.

Technology The CPU has 10.4 million transistors, an order of magnitude more than the RAD6000 (which had 1.1 million). It is manufactured using either 250 or 150 nm photolithography and has a die area of 130 mm2. It has a core clock of 110 to 200 MHz and can process at 266 MIPS or more. The CPU can include an extended L2 cache to improve performance. The CPU can withstand an absorbed radiation dose of 2,000 to 10,000 grays (200,000 to 1,000,000 rads), temperatures between −55 °C and 125 °C, and requires 5 watts of power. The standard RAD750 single-board system (CPU and motherboard) can withstand 1,000 grays (100,000 rads), temperatures between −55 °C and 70 °C, and requires 10 watts of power. The RAD750 system has a price that is comparable to the RAD6000, the latter of which as of 2002 was listed at US$200,000 (equivalent to $358,002 in 2025). Customer program requirements and quantities, however, greatly affect the final unit costs. The RAD750 is based on the PowerPC 750. Its packaging and logic functions are completely compatible with the PowerPC 7xx family. The term RAD750 is a registered trademark of BAE Systems Information and Electronic Systems Integration Inc.

Deployment In 2010, it was reported that there were over 150 RAD750s used in a variety of spacecraft. Notable examples, in order of launch date, include:

Deep Impact comet-chasing spacecraft, launched in January 2005 – first to use the RAD750 computer. XSS 11, small experimental satellite, launched 11 April 2005. Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, launched 12 August 2005. SECCHI (Sun Earth Connection Coronal and Heliospheric Investigation) instrument package on each of the STEREO spacecraft, launched 15 October 2006. WorldView-1 satellite, launched 18 September 2007, has two RAD750s. Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope, formerly GLAST, launched 11 June 2008. Kepler space telescope, launched in March 2009. Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, launched on 18 June 2009. Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE), launched 14 December 2009. Solar Dynamics Observatory, launched 11 February 2010. Juno spacecraft, launched 5 August 2011. Curiosity rover, launched 26 November 2011. Van Allen Probes, launched on 30 August 2012. InSight, launched on 5 May 2018. Perseverance rover, launched 30 July 2020. James Webb Space Telescope, launched 25 December 2021, uses one RAD750 clocked at 118 MHz. Global Precipitation Measurement Core Observatory

References

External links Radiation-Hardened Processors Products from BAE Systems BAE Systems’ Radiation-hardened electronics product guide (PDF), from BAE Systems BAE Systems RAD750 processor JTAG Emulator from Corelis.com The CPUs of Spacecraft Computers in Space NASA’s latest Mars rover has the same processor as an iMac from 1998

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with RAD750

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what RAD750 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 RAD750 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 RAD750 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 RAD750

In research: RAD750 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 RAD750 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: RAD750 is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Avionics computers, BAE Systems, Computer-related introductions in 2001, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for RAD750 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.

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How to study RAD750 in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what RAD750 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 RAD750 out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is RAD750 in simple terms?

Why does RAD750 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 RAD750?

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 RAD750.