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Dec 24, 2008 11:58 am US/Eastern
Kids: Track Santa's Flight Plan Live Online
NORTH POLE (CBS4) ―
In the old days, when your children asked you where Santa was, they would take your word for it regarding Santa's whereabouts. But many of today's tech savvy youngsters expect something more.
Fortunately, NORAD, the North American Aerospace Defense Command, is on the case.
NORAD usually spends its time using ground-based radars, airborne radars, satellites, and fighter aircrafts to protect North America's airspace, but on Christmas Eve, they take on an added responsibility.
For more than 50 years, NORAD and its predecessor, the Continental Air Defense Command (CONAD) have tracked Santa's Christmas Eve flight.
What began as a telephone hotline more than half a century ago has evolved into a real-time online tracking map, available at
www.noradsanta.org.
The site is published in six languages for all to enjoy. The site also features "SantaCam" videos, which capture animated recreations of Santa's landings at 24 key cities around the world.
Those who would prefer to phone in to learn Santa's whereabouts can call 877-Hi-NORAD (446-6723).
The tradition began 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, Colonel Harry Shoup, received the first "Santa" call on Christmas Eve 1955. He rounded up his staff to determine Santa's whereabouts.
Now if your children are also seeking intelligence on what they will be getting from Santa, they'll have to wait until Christmas morning to get the answer to that question.
Santa has also received permission to fly freely without any government red tape to slow him down.
Santa signed an Open Skies Agreement with former Department of Transportation Secretary Norman Mineta, giving him and his team of reindeer unrestricted access to the rooftops of good girls and boys in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and all U.S. territories.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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