NORAD uses the two systems to determine whether the rocket or missile is in any way a threat to North America. Most rocket launches are either space launches or test missiles. If NORAD does detect a missile headed for North America, it is NORAD's job to inform the President of the United States and the Canadian Prime Minister so they can determine what action to take.
Traditionally, NORAD relied on its extensive radar system to detect Santa when he approached North America. Because Santa tends not to file a flight plan with either Transport Canada or the Federal Aviation Administration, NORAD is required to identify the 'unknown' Christmas objects on the radar screen. This usually means that two Canadian jets are deployed in the far North of Canada to verify that the objects are in fact Santa, Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donner, Blitzen and Rudolph. The pilots are still surprised to this day to see a smiling, jolly little man in red waving to them from an open sleigh in the middle of a snow storm.
Anyhow, NORAD gets calls from children all over the world wanting to know where Santa is, so we decided to see if there was anyway to pick up Santa on our DSP satellite system or ground-based system. It turned out that the glow from Rudolph's nose is so bright that it can in fact be detected by the DSP system. Our scientists have tried to calculate the heat that is generated by Rudolph's nose but they have not been able to thus far.
NORAD uses the two systems to determine whether the rocket or missile is in any way a threat to North America. Most rocket launches are either space launches or test missiles. If NORAD does detect a missile headed for North America, it is NORAD's job to inform the President of the United States and the Canadian Prime Minister so they can determine what action to take.
