National Radio Astronomy Research Center

The National Radio Astronomy Research Center is a location in the Savage Divide region of Appalachia in 2102.

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 a ton of 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
The building is made up of three main floors, the second and third 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 basement of the facility can be accessed via a stairwell in a western hallway on the first floor. 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. There is also a steamer trunk and an armor workbench located in the basement.

Points of interest

 * 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 has a single, open-plan office in the main building, with two additional floors surrounding the main chamber. There is also a basement level, accessible through the stairwell at the western end of the ground floor, past the financial records and lounge.
 * The ground floor contains the aforementioned offices, along with plenty of office materials (typewriters and the like), 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 basement contains a bobblehead and magazine spawn point near the armor workbench in the store room by the fusion generator. The other room is a general purpose storage.
 * The first floor, accessible up the stairwell in the northeastern corner, contains the executive office, conference room, and data review office with an accessible terminal.
 * The second floor, apart from the exit to the roof (where the player uplinks MODUS to the Kovac-Muldoon during One of Us) is the maintenance office with another safe and bobblehead (at the western stairwell), the meeting and comms room (with another magazine) and the filing room with a safe.

Notable loot

 * Holotapes and notes
 * 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.
 * Potential bobbleheads
 * Bobbleheads (2): In the basement of the research center building, near the armor workbench, and maintenance office by the western stairwell, top floor.
 * Potential magazines
 * Magazines (2): Same as above and in the comms room.
 * Other
 * Ballistic fiber - Two of military-grade duct tape - On the top floor at the staircase, on the left end of a shelf, stacked on top of each other.
 * A fusion core - In the basement of the research center building in a fusion generator.
 * Research Center key - On the third floor on the same desk as the above mentioned holotape. Opens a door on the first floor.

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