On Christmas Eve this year, the Commerce Department's National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration will help the North American Aerospace Defense Command track Santa Claus. NOAA will maintain a satellite watch of the North Pole for weather conditions and any unusual activity.

NOAA's Satellite Command and Data Acquisition Station in Fairbanks, Alaska, is ready to spot activity at the North Pole. NORAD will answer children's questions on its comprehensive, six-language Santa tracking website at http://www.noradsanta.org. All site material, including the live tracking event, will be available in English, Japanese, French, Spanish, Italian and Brazilian Portuguese.

NORAD will also attempt to set the record straight in regards to outrageous allegations that have been made by several fifth grade students as to the existence of Santa Claus. Seeing is believing and NORAD has perfected its 47-year-old tradition of tracking Santa on Christmas Eve. Visual and audio updates will be posted hourly on the website from 7:00 a.m., Dec. 24 EST to 5:00 a.m., Dec. 25 EST.

2001 Program

The 2001 NORAD Tracks Santa Team again includes America Online, who will host the site on an extensive network of servers, and Analytical Graphics who created the site and all supporting imagery with NORAD. The Web pages were updated this year by Etheriel Web Publications. In addition, Globelink Services International coordinated the extensive translation required for the Web site. All the organizations and volunteers who help make this global NORAD Christmas project possible do so at no cost to the taxpayer. For more information, call Major Douglas Martin at (719) 554-5816 or 2608 or 6889.

NOAA's National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service is the nation's primary source of space-based meteorological and climate data. NOAA Satellite and Data Service operates the nation's environmental satellites, which, in addition to helping track Santa Claus, are used for weather forecasting, climate monitoring, and other environmental applications such as fire detection, ozone monitoring, and sea surface temperature measurements.

To learn more about NOAA Satellite and Data Service, please visit http://www.nesdis.noaa.gov.