NORAD tracks Santa by accident?

PeterM · #1 15-12-2008, 12:01 PM

Interesting site for those of you with young children wanting a Santa filled Christmas. The 53 year history behind how the predecessor to NORAD (& now NORAD) got involved in the tradition of tracking Santa is very interesting indeed - by accident? probably, or perhaps to some, a subtle way of getting more people to accept the huge military spending on the era that would follow. Needless to say, very high tech equipment will be made available to help Santa as he makes his way from the North Pole, to make sure he gets to your house with all the goodies. So why does he need all this high tech equipment now and he didn't years ago - GPS, Weather monitoring, Digital imaging, Computers etc? I suppose you could look at the evolution of amateur astronomy and ask the same question - because he (we) can, and of course it's a lot more fun, isn't it?
Enjoy the Norad site for what it is, and this Christmas have fun with your family at a wonderful time of the year.
From my family to yours, I wish you all a very merry and safe Christmas.
http://www.noradsanta.org/en/home.html

PeterM

wavelandscott (Scott) · #2 15-12-2008, 01:39 PM

Tracking Santa via Norad and Google has become a tradition at our house...

If you have broadband it is pretty cool to follow along.

Ian Robinson · #3 15-12-2008, 01:57 PM

Anti-ballistic missles armed and locked on the fat ol' red guy .... waiting presidential authorisation to take him out....

Challenge : calculate the velocity that Santa must achieve to visit every single child's home and deliver presents inside 24 hours ....

..... and which way do you reckon Santa travels to achieve this task (E to W ? W to E ? which would be better ?)

PeterM · #4 15-12-2008, 02:31 PM

Yeah Ian, I have seen the figures, they are beyond astronomical, but time is on his side. He has lots of help and I'll bet you were once one of those helpers. My interest started from watching The Sky at Night as a young boy in England and if it wasn't for "Santa" bringing me my first telescope (a Tasco 60mm refractor) in 1970 and seeing the rings of Saturn for the first time, I often wonder if my interest would have grown to what it now is.
So I wonder how many youngsters will get that same spark in this wonderful hobby from what the fat fella in the red suit brings this year, and start them on a voyage of discovery. Shooot him down? No way, Go Santa!
PeterM

jungle11 (Greg) · #5 15-12-2008, 05:43 PM

If he could land on my tin roof all those times without waking me up, or crawl down my 10cm wide chimney - I reckon he could dodge a few missiles as well so nothin to worry about Ian..

Jen · #6 15-12-2008, 06:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jungle11

If he could land on my tin roof all those times without waking me up, or crawl down my 10cm wide chimney - I reckon he could dodge a few missiles as well so nothin to worry about Ian..

Ian Robinson · #7 15-12-2008, 06:53 PM

I'm pretty fat , maybe I should put my name down for the job of Santa .... only problem with that .... having to put up with dozens of other people's little darlings and stay patient and not get grumpy with them .... I am likely to crack and revert to my normal state of grumpiness .... and tell them they are all on the Naughty List.

I had a little boy yell out "hey .... look at the very fat man ...." on Boxing Day a few years ago when I was at Stockton Beach .... told him I was Santa and I will remember him next year and he's now on the Naughty List now and will only get a lumps of coal for all future Xmases .... and told his mother who was standing right there that she needs to teach the kid proper manners .... had the kid in tears ....