‘The most secure facility in the world’
Before 9/11, NORAD watched only for external threats. After the terrorists turned domestic airliners into weapons, NORAD began peering inward as well, monitoring civilian air traffic for potential threats.
NORAD regularly launches fighter jets to intercept private aircraft that stray into restricted airspace, including areas where the president is traveling. It is usually a civilian who didn’t read official notices, Morehen said.
5. BIG AND LITTLE MOMENTS IN NORAD HISTORY
In 1979 and 1980, NORAD computer glitches produced false alarms about incoming missiles. Each time, the problem was discovered quickly.
Cheyenne Mountain is an alluring setting for science fiction. It was depicted in the 1983 “WarGames” movie, among others, and in the “Stargate” TV series.
It takes 45 seconds for builtin hydraulic machinery to close the blast doors. If the hydraulics fail, two people can close them by hand. One door usually remained shut at all times during the Cold War. Since then, commanders ordered them closed only once, on 9/11.
NORAD is known world-wide for its “NORAD Tracks Santa” operation, fielding calls from children on Christmas Eve asking where Santa is. The operation has always been run out of Ent or Peterson Air Force Base in Colorado Springs, never Cheyenne Mountain, said Laslie, the NORAD historian.