The North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) tracks everything that flies in and around North America. That includes Santa and his reindeer on December 24.
Preston Schlachter the program manager for NORAD Track Santa said, "24 hours a day, 365, we track everything that flies in and around North America. Now we do this by using radars, geo-synchronous satellites, and fighter jets escorting anything that flies around North America. And on the 24th of December we have the special mission of tracking Santa using those very same assets."
NORAD has been tracking Santa since 1955 when a young child accidentally dialed the unlisted phone number of the Continental Air Defense Command (CONAD) Operations Center in Colorado Springs, Colorado, believing she was calling Santa Claus after seeing a promotion in a local newspaper.
Air Force Colonel Harry Shoup, the commander on duty that night, was quick to realize a mistake had been made, and assured the youngster that CONAD would guarantee Santa a safe journey from the North Pole.
Thus a tradition was born that rolled over to NORAD when it was formed in 1958. Each year since, NORAD has dutifully reported Santa's location on December 24 to millions across the globe.
Thanks to the services and resources generously provided by numerous corporate contributors and volunteers, NORAD Tracks Santa has persevered for more than 60 years.
Each year, the NORAD Tracks Santa website receives nearly fifteen million unique visitors from more than 200 countries and territories around the world. Volunteers receive more than 130,000 calls to the NORAD Tracks Santa hotline from children around the globe.
This year, children and the young-at-heart are able to track Santa through Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Instagram.
For more information about NORAD Tracks Santa, you can click here.
For more information about NORAD, you can click here.
(NORAD contributed to this report.)
