(11/17/1998) LOS ANGELES (AP) _ Satellite operators reported no immediate problems on 11/17/1998 as the Earth passed through the tail of a comet that peppered the atmosphere with tiny bits of space junk zipping along at 155,000 mph (250,000 kph). (11/17/1998) While people around the world watched the beginning of the best meteor storm light show in three decades, the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration and private satellite companies rotated their high-tech machinery to face away from the approaching debris. (11/17/1998) The shower, which peaks every 33 years, is caused by the Earth's passage through the long tail of the Comet Tempel-Tuttle.