NORAD helping children track Santa
By BRENDA SOMMER bsommer@leader-news.com

printing mistake Hunter Merta (left), Santa Claus and Lacey Lara (right) were on hand recently to make sure the Jolly Old Elf had company while waving to kids of all ages from atop a fire truck.

Keeping an eye on Santa's progress this Christmas Eve has a new dimension - literally.

For the past 50 years, the space agency NORAD has been focused on none other than Santa Claus as he makes his annual trek around the globe to deliver presents. But this year, visitors to the noradsanta.org Web site can track the most famous North Pole resident in three dimensions.

NORAD has added the 3-D abilities of Google Earth to the many exciting ways fans of the jolly one can pass the time as they wait for their annual visitor. As well, a "Santa's Village" contains about a dozen online games for kids of all ages to enjoy.

NORAD is responsible for tracking the air space over North America, but every year turns its attention away from missiles and instead on Santa's sleigh as he wings his way through starry Christmas Eve skies.

Satellites will turn to focus on Rudolph's glowing nose from early morning on Christmas Eve until the last stockings are stuffed.

According to the Web site, tracking Santa is a process that requires a huge effort by both American and Canadian officials, and the site itself is available in English, German, Spanish, French, Italian and Japanese.

NORAD and its predecessor, the Continental Air Defense Command have tracked Santa as part of a tradition begun after a Colorado Springs-based Sears Roebuck & Co. store advertisement for children to call Santa on a special "hotline" included an inadvertently misprinted telephone number.

Instead of Santa, the phone number put kids through to the CONAD commander-in-chief's operations hotline.

The director of operations, Col. Harry Shoup, received the first Santa call on Christmas Eve 1955. Realizing what had happened, Shoup had his staff check radar data to see if there was any indication of Santa making his way south from the North Pole. Indeed, there were signs of Santa, and children who called were given an update on Santa's position and a tradition was born.

NORAD uses four high-tech systems to track Santa - radar, satellites, Santa Cams and jet fighter aircraft.

All operations of the NORAD Santa Web site are paid for solely by sponsors and donations, and no tax dollars are used to create, operate or maintain it.