Space Shuttle Columbia mission-flown tyreThe left hand nose gear tyre flown on Space Shuttle Columbia mission STS 52 in 1992. Mission STS 52 was the 51st NASA space shuttle mission and the 13th by Columbia. Headed by Commander James Wetherbee, it launched on October 22, 1992 and successfully touched down on November 1, 1992 at Kennedy Space Center following 10 days in orbit. The mission saw the launch of the LAGEOS II satellite a mirrored ball that scientists use to predict earthquakes.