Tracking Santa Claus -- The Big Flight Goes Tonight

Saturday, December 24, 2005 05:00 AM

Opinion250 has teamed up with the North American Aerospace Defense Command to track the whereabouts of Santa Claus as he begins his whirlwind, round-the-world trip...

This year marks the 50th anniversary of NORAD's tracking of the man in the red-and-white suit.

The tradition began back in 1955 when Sears Roebuck & Co. placed an ad with a special "hotline" number for children to call, but the telephone number was misprinted and the Commander-in-Chief of NORAD's predecesser, the Continental Command (CONAD), began receiving calls.

Colonel Harry Shoup realized what had happened and had his staff check radar data to see if there were any signs of Santa making his way south from the North Pole. Indeed, there were indications he was on the move and children who called were given updates on Santa's position.

NORAD uses four high-tech systems to track Santa -- radar, satellites, Santa Cams and jet fighter aircraft. In addition, many personnel and their families at the Cheyenne Mountain and Peterson Air Force Bases spend part of their Christmas Eve with family and friends answering phones at the Santa Tracking Operations Center to provide updates to the thousands of children who call.

The phone number is 1-877-Hi-NORAD...or click here to visit the website

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