Is the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) a Santa Tracker?
Norad’s involvement in tracking Santa came after Sears mistakenly used the telephone number of the Continental Air Defense Command (CONAD) – since 1958 known as NORAD – in an advertisement as the “hotline” children could phone to speak to Santa. When the first call came in, CONAD decided not to scramble jets but rather told the young caller Santa’s exact position and ever since NORAD has been tracking Santa’s progress from the North Pole around the world. How Does the NORAD Santa Tracker System Find Santa? Where is Santa? Currently, NORAD uses radar, satellites, Santa Cams, and jet fighter aircraft to track Santa’s progress. • Radar is first use to detect Santa’s departure from the North Pole • Satellites with infrared detectors able to zoom in on heat picks up the signals next – in an age of modern technology, Rudolph’s red nose is a dead giveaway. • Santa Cams are pre-positioned to take snapshots and video from Santa Claus and his reindeer in action – shots are placed on NORAD’s webs
