Main landing tire flown to orbit onboard Space Shuttle Discovery (OV-103) / STS-105 from August 10-22, 2001. The 44.5 x 16.0-21 size tire is one of six (including two smaller nose landing gear tires) onboard the Discovery orbiter that decelerated the 220,000 pound spacecraft from its 250 MPH landing speed to a full stop on the Kennedy Center Space Shuttle Landing Facility’s 15,000 foot long runway.
Manufactured by Michelin, the Space Shuttle tires were filled with nitrogen (as are most aircraft tires) due to its stability at different altitudes and temperatures. As a result of extremely heavy loads, the bias ply tire was inflated to 340 psi and engineered to tolerate rapid temperature changes from in excess of -40 degrees Fahrenheit in space to +130 degrees on landing in a matter of minutes. The main landing gear shuttle tires were single landing rated and subsequently replaced for each flight (nose landing gear were typically used for two landings).
The initial point of touchdown at which the tire contacted the runway has been indicated on the treads with post-flight application of “X” marks. The sidewall has also been annotated with flight information, which has been taped over to prevent wear.
The shuttle mission on which this tire flew (STS-105) included as its main purpose rotation of the International Space Station (ISS) crew and the delivery of supplies utilizing the Italian-built Multipurpose Logistics Module (MPLM) Leonardo on its second flight. Astronauts also conducted two spacewalks and performed materials experiments. The MPLM on this mission contained additional scientific racks, equipment, and supplies required by the ISS Crew.
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