The CPU is POWER, not PPC (Score 4, Informative)

The RAD6000 is based on a POWER CPU called RSC (RIOS single chip) - it's not a PPC chip. This was a design that consolidated the 5 - 6 chip RIOS processor complex onto a single lower performance die for low end workstations. I worked on the development team at IBM.

The RSC design played a key role in bringing Apple and Motorola together with IBM to create the PowerPC line of CPUs. The 601 was the first PPC and was basically a redesign of RSC. It supported both POWER and PPC architectures, although there were deviances from PPC since the architecture was actually being defined at the time we were working on the chip.

The RAD6000 version of the design happened because IBM wanted to pursue some government contracts, so had the RSC specially qualified. Another group then took the design and performed the radiation hardening.

After Pathfinder we had some cool IBM/Mars posters hanging around the building, but oddly enough they vanished very quickly...