Proof that Santa Claus is real!

**Mayet** · December 21st, 2003, 06:07 PM

Track Santa Live on Chritmas Eve. Article by Margaret Holborow ©2003.

The proof that children have always been looking for in the age old question "Does Santa Claus really exist" has been shown to millions of children worldwide for decades now with Santa Tracking, an American Military operation that along with ensuring Santa's safety as he glides through the night sky on his sled, from all aircraft and planes, also keeps excited children informed all around the world up to the minute of Santa's progress on Christmas Eve as he leaves the Frozen Arctic Circle and his home at the North Pole.

This Christmas 2003, NORAD (North American Aerospace Defense Command) will be celebrating the 48th annual Live "Round the World Santa Tracking" on an official website that has been set aside for children the world over to log into on Christmas Eve to experience the Joy of Santa's arrival..

The tradition of tracking Santa as he journeys around the world on Christmas eve was started in 1955 when the Sears Roebuck catalogue accidentally gave out a wrong Santa hotline number. Instead of Kris Kringle, 6 year old callers found themselves connected to CONAD, (Continental Aerospace Defense Command) which was the current NORAD predecessor and the centre of Airspace security for the American Military.

The commanding officer Air Force Col Harry Shoup, realised quickly that if he brushed the calls away, there would be millions of children left disappointed so he quickly scanned the radar screen for Santa's presence to answer the children and then devised the way that Santa could be tracked world wide in turn making millions of kids worldwide light up with joy as they find that they too can now watch Santa's progress, as he gets closer and closer to their own chimneys and empty stockings hanging waiting, to be filled full to the brim with wonderful presents.

Nobody in the world knows what route Santa Claus will take on Christmas Eve, he changes directions every year depending on the places he has to visit. Norad uses past data collected to anticipate times of Santa's arrival to the various Countries that he visits with his team of nine reindeer, Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Comet, Cupid, Vixen, Donner, Blitzen and Rudolph.

NORAD firstly uses a combination of 12 or more strategically located satellites orbiting 11,000 kilometres far above Earth and ground sensors scattered all over the world, to search out and track the infrared light on Rudolph's nose. When the sensors lock onto the bright red beacon, NORAD then sends Canadian CF-18's and F15 Jets to intercept at the recorded co ordinates and stealthily capture with special military digital photography, the first images of Santa as he enters the worlds airspace after leaving the bitterly cold North Pole, where he has been busy all year making presents for children who have been good the world over.

These images are then downloaded to the Official Santa Tracking Website for children the world over to enjoy. The Canadian pilots have sent back reports in amazement, of seeing Jolly Happy Smiling face of Santa in his sleigh riding along in the sky, in the middle blizzard with Rudolph in the lead lighting the way with his bright red beacon of a nose.

http://www.noradsanta.com/

article taken from ME http://www.southburnett.net/christmas.htm