Back in August 1993, the Perseids were expected to be anything but normal; Comet Swift-Tuttle had passed Earth's orbit in 1992, and astronomers predicted an unusually intense shower. Spacecraft operators took steps to protect their vehicles.



But one spacecraft, the European communications satellite OLYMPUS, could not take precautionary measures. OLYMPUS already had been dealt an unlucky blow by a sporadic meteoroid, which disabled one solar array's pointing system. So OLYMPUS was stuck facing the oncoming Perseid stream.

[caption id="attachment_33566" align="aligncenter" width="450" caption="Image from jostarsoundings Photobucket"] [/caption]Of the roughly 8000 satellites that have been launched, which would seem to result in a veritable shooting ground for meteors, only one has ever been hit and subsequently destroyed by such a force. The European Space Agency's communications satellite, Olympus, suffered that fate in 1993. Satellites are programmed to avoid events like the Perseid showers, but that year, the Perseids shifted.More on this story at the link, and incidentally- last year was the first time two satellites collided