When I was young I remember listening to the radio. Dad always listened to WTVN radio, and on Christmas Eve they would update their listeners as NORAD tracked an unidentified object leaving from the North Pole and heading south. (Of course, no matter which way you go from the North Pole, you're heading south). It was fun to listen as they tracked the progress of Santa and where he was.
Now of course, we have the ability to track Santa a lot more closely, as NORAD has given us the on line capability of keeping track of where Santa goes. Each year for the past few years I've tracked Santa's progress on http://www.noradsanta.org/. In the days leading up to Christmas the site has an area with different games and information about Christmas and Santa to help count down the days.
Yesterday they gave out some information about Santa's sleigh that I found interesting.
According to NORAD Santa's sleigh is a versatile, all-weather vertical/short take-off and landing vehicle. It is capable of traveling vast distances without refueling and is deployed, as far as we know, only on Christmas Eve and briefly for a test flight about a week before Christmas. It is equipped with state-of-the-art technology that enables his propulsion skis to fly at the speed of light. The sleigh is 75 cc (candy canes) long and 55cc high (without reindeer). We believe the maiden voyage of Santa's sleigh took place on Dec. 24, 343 A.D. The sleigh, while occassionally updated with new technology, has never been replaced or damaged (although it almost crashed in 1931 near Paris' Eiffel Tower). The elves, in addition to making toys, are responsible for keeping the sleigh in fine-tuned condition and perform a test run about a week before Christmas each year. Although Santa typically rides alone, the sleigh seat was built to accomodate helpers. Mrs. Claus has assisted with the Christmas festivities nearly a dozen times, while several elves over the centuries have helped. Santa's trip around the world takes approximately 24 hours. He departs the North Pole at 4:00am EST on December 24 with every present delivered by 4:00am EST on December 25. The return trip to the North Pole takes significantly less time due to the decreased weight in the sleigh.
Santa's team of reindeer has remained the same since their first ride in 343 A.D., with the exception of Rudolf, who was permitted to join the team in 1031 A.D.
Santa's sleigh features a high-tech console that uses GPS combined with 2-D visualization to best plot his Christmas Eve route. Through simple data inputs, Santa can adjust his flight pattern to hone in on those who have gone to bed and fallen sound asleep. Santa can also tune into Christmas music that radio stations around the world broadcast by satellites and also has a hot chocolate dispenser on his console to keep him warm on the long flight.
Have a Merry Christmas!!
Now of course, we have the ability to track Santa a lot more closely, as NORAD has given us the on line capability of keeping track of where Santa goes. Each year for the past few years I've tracked Santa's progress on http://www.noradsanta.org/. In the days leading up to Christmas the site has an area with different games and information about Christmas and Santa to help count down the days.
Yesterday they gave out some information about Santa's sleigh that I found interesting.
According to NORAD Santa's sleigh is a versatile, all-weather vertical/short take-off and landing vehicle. It is capable of traveling vast distances without refueling and is deployed, as far as we know, only on Christmas Eve and briefly for a test flight about a week before Christmas. It is equipped with state-of-the-art technology that enables his propulsion skis to fly at the speed of light. The sleigh is 75 cc (candy canes) long and 55cc high (without reindeer). We believe the maiden voyage of Santa's sleigh took place on Dec. 24, 343 A.D. The sleigh, while occassionally updated with new technology, has never been replaced or damaged (although it almost crashed in 1931 near Paris' Eiffel Tower). The elves, in addition to making toys, are responsible for keeping the sleigh in fine-tuned condition and perform a test run about a week before Christmas each year. Although Santa typically rides alone, the sleigh seat was built to accomodate helpers. Mrs. Claus has assisted with the Christmas festivities nearly a dozen times, while several elves over the centuries have helped. Santa's trip around the world takes approximately 24 hours. He departs the North Pole at 4:00am EST on December 24 with every present delivered by 4:00am EST on December 25. The return trip to the North Pole takes significantly less time due to the decreased weight in the sleigh.
Santa's team of reindeer has remained the same since their first ride in 343 A.D., with the exception of Rudolf, who was permitted to join the team in 1031 A.D.
Santa's sleigh features a high-tech console that uses GPS combined with 2-D visualization to best plot his Christmas Eve route. Through simple data inputs, Santa can adjust his flight pattern to hone in on those who have gone to bed and fallen sound asleep. Santa can also tune into Christmas music that radio stations around the world broadcast by satellites and also has a hot chocolate dispenser on his console to keep him warm on the long flight.
Have a Merry Christmas!!
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