ISGC Acquires Shuttle Tire

January 22, 2009

ISGC Members Pose with Shuttle Tire

ISGC hosted by OPL recently acquired a Shuttle Tire from NASA.  The tire is currently on display at OPL's flight operations hangar at the Iowa City Municipal Airport.

Space Shuttle Tire Facts

The space shuttle has six tires, four main landing gear tires and two nose gear tires. Main landing gear tires are only rated for one use and then are replaced. Nose gear tires are replaced after every second landing.

Although not much larger than a truck tire, just one of Discovery’s main gear tires could carry three times the load of a Boeing 747 tire or the entire starting line-up of a NASCAR race – 40 race cars – all hitting the pavement at 250 miles per hour. These tires are manufactured by Michelin with the dimensions 46.25” x 16.8” -21.5” and weigh about 225 pounds each.

In 2008, as part of a new Artifact Loan Opportunities Program, NASA made some of its spent space-flown items available to traditionally excluded organizations, such as civic groups and schools. To facilitate the process, the agency waived some of the requirements for the care of flown artifacts. With the ample supply of used shuttle tires and the desire to reach new audiences, NASA made the shuttle tires available as part of this loan program.

The Operator Performance Laboratory at The University of Iowa took advantage of this opportunity and now has a shuttle tire on display at their flight ops facility located at the Iowa City airport as part of outreach and educational activities.

Mission Objectives

The STS-121 mission was the second of two return to flight (RTF) missions flown by Space Shuttle Discovery following the Columbia accident. The main purpose of the mission was to test and verify new safety and repair techniques developed to prevent a similar incident. The mission also provided the opportunity to deliver new supplies and equipment to the international space station 200 miles above the Earth. European Space Agency (ESA) astronaut Thomas Reiter was also dropped off at the station to become part of the Expedition 13 crew.

Crew

Number in parentheses indicates number of spaceflights by each individual prior to and including this mission.

  • Steve W. Lindsey (4), Commander
  • Mark E. Kelly (2), Pilot
  • Michael E. Fossum (1), Mission Specialist 1
  • Lisa Nowak (1), Mission Specialist 2
  • Stephanie Wilson (1), Mission Specialist 3
  • Piers Sellers (2), Mission Specialist 4 

Launched ISS Expedition 13 Crew

  • Thomas Reiter (2), ISS Flight Engineer ESA

Quick Mission Facts

  • Mission Name: STS-121
  • Shuttle Name: Discovery (OV-103)
  • Launch Date: July 4, 2006
  • Landing: July 17, 2006
  • Mission Duration: 12 days 18 hours 37 minutes and 54 seconds
  • Number of orbits: 202
  • Distance Travelled: 8.5 million km
  • This was the 32nd flight of Space Shuttle Discovery

Space Shuttle Discovery Facts 

The Space Shuttle Discovery is currently one of three operating orbiters in NASA’s fleet. When first flow in 1983, it was the third operational shuttle activated following several successful mission with Columbia and Challenger. With the loss of Challenger in 1986, and Columbia in 2003, Discovery is now the oldest vehicle remaining (the other two being Atlantis and Endeavour).

Notable Discovery Missions:
  • August 30, 1984, STS-40D: Discovery’s first mission
  • September 29, 1988, STS-26: Return to Flight mission following Challenger accident
  • April 24, 1990, STS-31: Discovery launches and deploys Hubble Space Telescope
  • June 2, 1998, STS-91: Final Shuttle/Mir docking mission
  • October 29, 1998, STS-95: John Glenn returns to space
  • October 11, 2000, STS-92: 100th Shuttle mission
  • July 26, 2005, STS-114: Return to Flight mission following Columbia accident