National Radio Astronomy Research Center

The National Radio Astronomy Research Center is a location in the Savage Divide region of Appalachia.

Background
The National Radio Astronomy Research Center (NRARC) was a research center built as part of the deep space radio research complex that included the National Isolated Radio Array (NIRA). The research center was the center of the operation, tasked with investigating deep space signals. Barring the mishaps caused by the frequency cancellation operations of the NIRA, the entire initiative had a successful run until September 2077. While the test carried out in the afternoon of September 3, 2077, produced a clean signal and yielded significant data, the astronomers almost immediately discovered alien anomalies in the radio signals.

All deep space data was quickly designated top secret and a national security concern, with NRARC personnel, ordered to remain silent and not discuss anything related to the project. Employees like Chris Murphey and Jonathan Wajowski who talked too much about the signals were identified and "retired" to ensure the information was not leaked. The sudden disappearance of six people was noted by the research team but they were unwilling to speculate about the circumstances, as strange as they seemed.

At some point, the research team received EMERGENCY ORDER A19 to destroy all the evidence gathered at the site. Based on the evidence still present in 2102, they were unsuccessful in doing so.

Layout
Located a short distance east of the NIRA, the research center is largely abandoned, although there are places that are worthy of investigating. The main building is made up of three main floors; the first floor holds a single, open-plan office, the second and third floors having balconies that overlook the first floor. Each level has offices with desks and file cabinets that can be looted, as well as an occasional locked safe.

The first floor contains the aforementioned offices, along with plenty of office materials such as typewriters, with a locked accountant's office on the south wall, containing a locked safe. The western part of the floor contains the kitchen and break room, with the financial records and lounge down the corridor. The second floor, accessible up the stairwell in the northeastern corner, contains the executive office, conference room and data review office with an accessible terminal. The third floor apart from the exit to the roof (where the player character uplinks MODUS to the Kovac-Muldoon Platform during One of Us) is the maintenance office with another safe, the meeting and comms room, as well as the filing room which also has a safe.

The basement of the facility can be accessed via a stairwell in a western hallway on the first floor, past the financial records and lounge. Alternatively, it can be reached by going to the third floor, then passing through a western door. This leads to a large console room that continues west into a hallway with a flight of stairs. These go to another hallway with access to the stairwell at the end of it. A collapsed section of the wall and floor creates a large hole leading into the generator room on this level, which may hold a fusion core. There is also a steamer trunk and an armor workbench located in the basement.

Notable loot

 * EMERGENCY ORDER A19 - Five of these notes can be found here.
 * In the northeastern corner of the first floor, on a desk.
 * On a table next to a printer on the first floor.
 * On the floor of a locked office on the same level.
 * On the desk next to the data review terminal on the second floor. This one has a comment written on it in the bottom right corner of the paper.
 * On the desk next to the communications terminal on the third floor.
 * Something's up - Holotape, on the third floor on a desk in an office.
 * Research Center key - On the third floor on the same desk as the above-mentioned holotape. Opens a door on the first floor.
 * Two potential Vault-Tec bobbleheads:
 * In the basement of the building, near the armor workbench, on the tall tool case.
 * In the maintenance office by the western stairwell, on the top floor.
 * Two potential magazines:
 * In the basement of the building, near the armor workbench, on the green counter near a yellow alarm clock.
 * In the communications room, on top of the L-shaped mainframe computer near the large hole in the wall and floor.
 * Fusion core - In the basement of the research center building in a fusion generator.

Appearances
The National Radio Astronomy Research Center appears only in Fallout 76.