NORAD Stays Secret On How It Tracks Santa
PETERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Colo. -- Tens of thousands of children call NORAD on Christmas Eve always eager to hear how far Santa is from their town, but the volunteers answering the phones have a welcome bit of news for parents, too: St. Nick won't stop at homes unless all the kids are asleep.
Volunteer Liz Anderson said that when that happens, she will sometimes hear parents say, "See! I told you."
Tracking Santa's travels is a celebrated tradition at the North American Aerospace Defense Command. The operation unfolded Friday for the 55th year with volunteers and officials again tracking Santa's Christmas Eve flight path on computer screens.
It takes four months of planning to marshal the 1,200 volunteers, 100 telephones, 30 laptops and two big projection TV screens the exercise requires, NORAD spokeswoman Joyce Frankovis said. All the labor is volunteer. Google, Verizon, Air Canada, defense contractor Booz Allen Hamilton and others chip in.
On Friday, volunteers answered phone calls and e-mails from two conference rooms in a building not far from NORAD's headquarters. In a separate room, a three-member team fired out tweets and Facebook updates, checking against a schedule marked with a secrecy warning that said "Santa's Eye Only."
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