US defence tracks Santa’s sleigh ride for 70th year

Santa Claus drives his reindeer-powered sleigh over rooftops around the world, delivering gifts to millions of children in a magical Christmas Eve ritual that North American air defense officials say they began following 70 years ago.

Yet despite its adherence to a tradition dating back to the Cold War era in 1955, the North American Aerospace Defense Command, or NORAD, has limited information about the direction Santa Claus will take in any given year.

Santa doesn’t need to prepare a flight plan. So the only thing NORAD knows for sure in advance is that the jolly old elf in the red suit, also known as Kris Kringle or Saint Nicholas, takes off from his home at the North Pole every Christmas Eve.

“NORAD tracks Santa, but only Santa knows his route, which means we can’t predict where and when he will arrive at your home,” a senior ‍NORAD official said in a press release. he said.

NORAD, the joint U.S.-Canadian military command based at Peterson Air Force Base in Colorado Springs, Colorado, has provided images and updates on Santa Claus’ journey around the world for seven decades, in addition to its primary mission of monitoring air defenses and issuing aviation and maritime alerts.

The Santa Claus tracking tradition was born in 1955 when a Colorado Springs newspaper misprinted a store’s telephone number so that children could call and talk to Santa Claus.

The number listed went to what was then known as the Continental Air Defense Command.

An understanding clerk answered the youngsters’ calls and assured them that Santa Claus was in the air and ready to fly in his reindeer-powered sleigh to deliver gifts to good girls and boys – at least those who believed in him.

According to its website, NORAD detects Santa’s liftoff with its polar radar network and then tracks his journey with satellites used to warn of possible missile launches targeting North America.

As soon as Santa’s head reindeer, Rudolph, opens his bright red nose, military personnel can pinpoint his location using the satellites’ infrared sensors.