EPRAD, it seems, doesn't actually exist. The only real hits I get for it point to websites on these odd domains. lcfanfic.com and nfanfic.net, for the most part. Who knows what that's about.
Yes, AFAIR, they couldn't get permission to use NASA on the show at that point and so made this up as an equivalent. Later, they seem to have been able to resolve that block as NASA, of course, is mentioned in S4 episodes.
Same reason (again AFAIR) they used Sheriff Rachel instead of Lana Lang as Clark's Smallville old flame, because they weren't able to get permission from the comics people there.
LabRat
