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Norad: Underground, an electronic marvel
One of the most terrifying visions of the Cold War was the spectre of Soviet bombers and nuclear missiles crossing the Arctic toward North America. To protect the continent, Canada and the United States created Norad, the North American Aerospace Defense Command: a vast array of electronic eyes forever sweeping over the continent. But the world changed since the 1950s, and Norad shifted focus to monitor drug trafficking and terrorism. Yet critics call the organization an expensive monument to the Cold War, and a first step on the slippery slope to weapons in space.
. The Cheyenne facility is an amazing underground complex of 15 buildings buried deep in the mountain. The location was selected because it is geographically centred in North America, has low seismic activity, and because of the nearby military base.
. Construction of the Cheyenne facility began in 1961, and was completed in 1966. It cost $142 million. The entire facility is built on top of 1,319 giant springs, which can insulate the complex from an earthquake or nuclear blast. The facility's main blast doors weigh 25 tons and are made of steel one metre thick. They can be closed in 30 seconds.
. The North Bay facility, though smaller, was still an engineering marvel. Nicknamed "The Hole," it consisted of four huge underground chambers: two for the SAGE computer system, one for a huge diesel power plant and one for water. The estimated cost at the time of this broadcast was $12 million.
. The SAGE system (Semi Automated Ground Environment) was used to track enemy aircraft from the 1950s to 1980s. It was essentially a giant air traffic control computer, which would handle communications between multiple radar sites and defence facilities. The goal was to detect incoming threats and dispatch jet interceptors and anti-aircraft missiles with maximum efficiency.
. Cost estimates of SAGE run between $8 and 12 billion US (1964); more than the cost of developing the atom bomb.
. By the time SAGE was up and running, missiles - which the system was incapable of intercepting - had replaced bombers as the primary threat. Nonetheless, SAGE was considered a groundbreaking achievement in computing. It used real-time computing to analyze radar data, and modems for data transfer. The machinery was provided by IBM, helping solidify their market dominance.
Program: Newsmagazine
Broadcast Date: Nov. 13, 1960
Guest(s):
Host: Stanley Burke
Duration: 1:49
Last updated: March 19, 2012
Page consulted on August 22, 2012
All Clips from this Topic
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Canada and the U.S. agree on a new plan to counter Cold War threats.
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Norad: North America's best hope against a Soviet air attack.
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Life on the Arctic DEW Line can be like hell frozen over.
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A computerized nerve centre is carved out deep beneath the Canadian Sh...
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Norad staff demonstrate what would happen if Canada was attacked.
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Angry picketers demand Canada withdraw from Norad.
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Major Donald Holts explains the problem of thousands of objects that m...
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Advanced 'Backfire' bombers render the DEW Line useless, and make Salt...
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A computer glitch triggers an international incident.
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American officials give Canada full control over the nearly obsolete r...
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Canada renews its commitment to Norad, perhaps for all the wrong reaso...
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A massive cleanup effort seeks to undo half a century of polluting the...
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He sees you when you're sleeping. But Norad sees him first!
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In an instant, the role of Norad is changed forever.
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La Macaza, Que., will soon host Bomarc B interceptor missiles.
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One of the most terrifying visions of the Cold War was the spectre of ...
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American cruise missile testing to take place on Canadian soil.