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Dec. 24th, 2006 03:34 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
empallinBlizzard fails to derail NORAD Tracks Santa operations
PETERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Colo. - Despite being pounded by the Holiday Blizzard of 2006, North American Aerospace Defense Command remains on alert for the nation and ready to track Santa Claus, according to NORAD officials.
“NORAD Tracks Santa Operations Center is schedule to begin operations as scheduled at 2 a.m. Christmas Eve,” said Michael Perini, Director of NORAD and U.S. Northern Command Public Affairs.
More than 800 Santa tracking volunteers will cycle through the center answering telephone calls and e-mails from children around the world wanting to get a fix on Santa Claus’ whereabouts.
“In 2005, the volunteers at the Operations Center received 563,452 telephone calls and 103,156 emails from children around the world,” Perini said.
The NORAD Tracks Santa Web site, www.noradsanta.org, went live Nov. 17 and has already garnered an amazing 48,695,357 page views. Last year the site received 907,958,865 page views from 204 countries and territories around the world.
Beginning at 2:00 a.m. MST on December 24, the Web site will provide minute-by-minute updates on Santa’s journey around the world.
A toll free number is also available at 1-877-Hi-NORAD (1-877-446-6723) for children to call and personally speak to a Santa Tracker on Christmas Eve.
12.21.06
George Diller
Kennedy Space Center, Fla.
321-867-2468
RELEASE: 74-06
NASA'S KSC PROVIDING ASSISTANCE TO SANTA ON CHRISTMAS EVE
The Debris Imaging Radar System, used during the night launch of
NASA's space shuttle mission STS-116, is a new system at Kennedy
Space Center in Florida that will now be made available to Santa
Claus on Christmas Eve.
Based on its success in identifying even the smallest amount of debris
coming off the orbiter or the external tank, NASA has strong
confidence the system will provide assistance in observing Santa's
sleigh. Since the elves have the packages piled high, NASA can
determine with great accuracy if any gifts planned for delivery fall
off the sleigh. The radar system is capable of high-definition radar
imagery, so the approximate shape, size and weight of the packages
can be determined.
This could greatly help Santa recover the packages so that no child is
disappointed by not receiving the presents the jolly fellow promised
while he made the rounds in shopping malls before Christmas. The
radar has an auto-track mode so that it can be left unattended on
Christmas Eve and still perform its intended function. The system
will be automatically activated once NASA's air traffic control radar
located on north KSC has made radar contact with Santa's sleigh.
Also of assistance to Santa this year is the new Differential Global
Positioning Satellite System ground station at the Shuttle Landing
Facility. These new GPS antennas located near the control tower can
help if there is an emergency. Since the sleigh is now GPS equipped,
it can guide Santa to a landing within 10 feet of the runway's
centerline, regardless of which end of the runway he needs to use.
Though Shuttle Landing Facility personnel will be on holiday leave,
officials at the NASA Tower have agreed to provide the customary
support by turning the landing lights on before they depart for
Christmas, as well as turning on the TACAN radio homing beacon and
the visual alternating green and white lighted rotating beacon.
NASA will use the orbiter Discovery to mimic Santa's sleigh during the
STS-116 landing currently planned for Friday, in order to test the
ability to operate these two new systems in auto-track mode. If the
orbiter is waved off to land on the West Coast, the Shuttle Training
Aircraft will be used to simulate Santa's sleigh.
If Santa needs help, one of the primary radio frequencies normally
used for communication in restricted airspace will still be monitored
by the Air Force Eastern Range and also NASA security.
For more information about KSC's assistance to Santa, contact the KSC
News Center at 321-867-2468.
-end-
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PETERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Colo. - Despite being pounded by the Holiday Blizzard of 2006, North American Aerospace Defense Command remains on alert for the nation and ready to track Santa Claus, according to NORAD officials.
“NORAD Tracks Santa Operations Center is schedule to begin operations as scheduled at 2 a.m. Christmas Eve,” said Michael Perini, Director of NORAD and U.S. Northern Command Public Affairs.
More than 800 Santa tracking volunteers will cycle through the center answering telephone calls and e-mails from children around the world wanting to get a fix on Santa Claus’ whereabouts.
“In 2005, the volunteers at the Operations Center received 563,452 telephone calls and 103,156 emails from children around the world,” Perini said.
The NORAD Tracks Santa Web site, www.noradsanta.org, went live Nov. 17 and has already garnered an amazing 48,695,357 page views. Last year the site received 907,958,865 page views from 204 countries and territories around the world.
Beginning at 2:00 a.m. MST on December 24, the Web site will provide minute-by-minute updates on Santa’s journey around the world.
A toll free number is also available at 1-877-Hi-NORAD (1-877-446-6723) for children to call and personally speak to a Santa Tracker on Christmas Eve.
12.21.06
George Diller
Kennedy Space Center, Fla.
321-867-2468
RELEASE: 74-06
NASA'S KSC PROVIDING ASSISTANCE TO SANTA ON CHRISTMAS EVE
The Debris Imaging Radar System, used during the night launch of
NASA's space shuttle mission STS-116, is a new system at Kennedy
Space Center in Florida that will now be made available to Santa
Claus on Christmas Eve.
Based on its success in identifying even the smallest amount of debris
coming off the orbiter or the external tank, NASA has strong
confidence the system will provide assistance in observing Santa's
sleigh. Since the elves have the packages piled high, NASA can
determine with great accuracy if any gifts planned for delivery fall
off the sleigh. The radar system is capable of high-definition radar
imagery, so the approximate shape, size and weight of the packages
can be determined.
This could greatly help Santa recover the packages so that no child is
disappointed by not receiving the presents the jolly fellow promised
while he made the rounds in shopping malls before Christmas. The
radar has an auto-track mode so that it can be left unattended on
Christmas Eve and still perform its intended function. The system
will be automatically activated once NASA's air traffic control radar
located on north KSC has made radar contact with Santa's sleigh.
Also of assistance to Santa this year is the new Differential Global
Positioning Satellite System ground station at the Shuttle Landing
Facility. These new GPS antennas located near the control tower can
help if there is an emergency. Since the sleigh is now GPS equipped,
it can guide Santa to a landing within 10 feet of the runway's
centerline, regardless of which end of the runway he needs to use.
Though Shuttle Landing Facility personnel will be on holiday leave,
officials at the NASA Tower have agreed to provide the customary
support by turning the landing lights on before they depart for
Christmas, as well as turning on the TACAN radio homing beacon and
the visual alternating green and white lighted rotating beacon.
NASA will use the orbiter Discovery to mimic Santa's sleigh during the
STS-116 landing currently planned for Friday, in order to test the
ability to operate these two new systems in auto-track mode. If the
orbiter is waved off to land on the West Coast, the Shuttle Training
Aircraft will be used to simulate Santa's sleigh.
If Santa needs help, one of the primary radio frequencies normally
used for communication in restricted airspace will still be monitored
by the Air Force Eastern Range and also NASA security.
For more information about KSC's assistance to Santa, contact the KSC
News Center at 321-867-2468.
-end-
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ksc-subscribe@newsletters.nasa.gov
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ksc-unsubscribe@newsletters.nasa.gov
