NORAD detects signs of Santa/ Glowing object in northern hemisphere may be Rudolph's nose

In a highly sensitive Defense Support Program mission, NORAD officials based at Cheyenne Mountain said Wednesday they've detected unusual activity in the northern hemisphere.

The system, used for missile launch detection, has identified a radiant and shining object they believe to be coming from friendly forces.

Rudolph's nose is the first sighting this year of Santa Claus by the North American Aerospace Defense Command, a joint U.S./Canadian military organization responsible for the aerospace defense of the two nations that's housed inside Cheyenne Mountain south of Colorado Springs.

The tracking operation, which is supported by a corps of 100 volunteers who answer a Santa Hotline on Christmas Eve, added a Web site in 1997.

The response has been overwhelming. Last year, it drew 52 million hits from across the planet. That's nearly one for every American child 14 or under, or one in 35 youths worldwide.

Since the site went online last Friday, it's gotten 5.3 million hits - about 60 percent from the United States and 40 percent from overseas.

That's about 1.5 million a day - the number the city of Colorado Springs' Web site gets in an entire month and more than El Paso County's site gets in four months.

NORAD spokesman Air Force Master Sgt. Larry Lincoln said there are no tax dollars spent tracking Santa or answering calls. All Web services were donated.

"We're preserving some of the magic of Christmas," Lincoln said. "It's a sign of good will around the world."

On the Net

The North American Aerospace Defense Command will track Santa's flight from 4 p.m. to midnight on Christmas Eve. Find Santa's location by logging on to www.noradsanta.org.

The Santa site is hosted by America Online. It was designed by Analytical Graphics Inc., and Springs-based Globelink International Services donated services in translating the site into six languages: Brazilian Portuguese, French, Italian, Japanese and Spanish.

Pam Zubeck, Colorado Springs Gazette - Telegraph. Colorado Springs, Colo.: Dec 21, 2000.