Among the many influences that got me stuck on aviation as a child was the NORAD Santa Tracker every Christmas Eve. As the big man starts his journey this year, what better way to let the kids or grandkids know that Santa is on his way?
The tracking begins today
For seven decades, the North American Aerospace Defense Command has carried on its annual tradition of tracking Santa Claus as he travels the globe on Christmas Eve, a program the command says draws calls from children and adults alike.
More than 1,000 volunteers are scheduled to staff the NORAD Tracks Santa Operations Center at Peterson Space Force Base in Colorado Springs, Colorado, answering calls to 1-877-HI-NORAD from 4 a.m. to midnight Mountain Standard Time. For the first time this year, callers can also reach operators through the program’s website, an option organizers say makes participation easier for those outside North America.
How does NORAD do it?
NORAD officials told Associated Press reporters that the same radar systems, satellites and fighter aircraft used to monitor aerospace threats throughout the year are employed to follow Santa’s progress once his sleigh launches from the North Pole. Col. Kelly Frushour, a NORAD spokesperson, said Rudolph’s glowing red nose gives off a heat signature similar to a missile, allowing satellites to detect Santa’s movement.
According to a Pentagon news release, fighter pilots have intercepted Santa over the years, tipping their wings in greeting and occasionally snapping photos, a senior NORAD official said in a Pentagon News report.
A long history
The tradition began in 1955, when NORAD’s predecessor, the Continental Air Defense Command, received a phone call from a child asking for Santa Claus, reportedly due to a misprinted number in a newspaper advertisement. Rather than dismiss the call, the commander on duty directed staff to track Santa’s flight, setting in motion a tradition that has continued ever since.
By Dec. 23 of that year, Santa was officially being tracked, a practice that remains a lighthearted counterpoint to the command’s year-round mission of providing aerospace and maritime warning for North America.
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