Many here in the USA & I know around the world track that jolly old man in the red suit..as he makes his away around the world…found this nice story about how tis all got started !
Merry Christmas & happy Holidays forum members !
BlueNoser352!
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NORAD Santa Tracker a funny twist on tradition
By Robert Lachman
Hudson-Catskill Newspapers
Published: Friday, December 25, 2009 2:17 AM EST
Christmas. What a wonderful time of the year. Families get together to celebrate the holidays, and on Christmas Eve children wait expectantly to hear the sound of reindeer hooves on the roof and a hearty ho-ho-ho as Santa Claus makes his rounds. Deep in the heart of the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) headquarters in Colorado Springs men and women work feverishly to track Santa’s progress across the globe. Using four high tech systems to track Santa, every year since 1955 Santa and NORAD have worked together to let a little light into Santa’s mysterious mission.
It all started by accident in 1955 when a typo in a local Colorado Springs Sears and Roebuck ad with a picture of Santa prompted kids to call him on his private phone line. The problem was that the phone number was off by a digit and instead of reaching the jolly old elf, they got a top-secret line inside of the Continental Air Defense Command (CONAD) – NORAD’s predecessor — a line used only in case the Russian’s were attacking.
“The call came into Colonel Harry Shoup, who was not amused at first,” said Lieutenant Commander Gary Ross from Santa Tracker headquarters. “But he played along and using all of CONAD’s high powered radar decided to track Santa’s progress from the North Pole.” A tradition was born that day as Shoup set up what we now know as Santa Tracker. In 1958 when NORAD was formed the service was offered to the global community with Army, Navy, Air Force and Marine Corps personnel and their families taking the calls.
According to Ross, In the early days Santa was tracked only by ground-based radar but with the explosion of modern technology NORAD now uses four high tech systems to track him: radar, satellites, Santa Cams and fighter jets. “Now satellites and radar are used while fighter jets greet Santa and camera’s across the globe capture his progress,” said Ross.
The radar system, called the North Warning System, consists of 47 installations positioned across our northern border. Once Santa lifts off the satellites, equipped with infrared sensors enable them to detect the heat from Rudolph’s red nose. The recent addition of high-speed digital cameras (Santa Cams) enables us to see Santa as he circumnavigates the planet. And finally, F-15 or F-16 fighter jets greet Santa as he enters American air space. (But only so they can fly alongside his sleigh.)
When asked at what speeds they have tracked him at Ross said, “He is moving awfully fast, and though Santa Claus can move at a different speed than us, he will stop at every house with children who believe in him.”
Ross also explained that this year NORAD started tracking Santa at 2 a.m. Eastern Standard Time, but he didn’t actually take off until 4:30 a.m. At 10 a.m. he was in Broome, Australia and by noon on Christmas Eve day he was flying over Mt. Everest, in Nepal, India. “Kids are calling from all around the world right now,” said Ross. “We have 1,200 volunteers working in 2 hour shifts. They answer about 40 calls an hour all day long. It’s a great way to spend Christmas Eve.
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December 25, 2009 at 7:55 am