On September 4, 2004, at 1842 central daylight time, a Cessna 172, N2355E, sustained firewall damage when the a nose wheel failed while landing on runway 12 (7,003 feet by 150 feet, asphalt) at the Gary/Chicago International Airport (GYY), Gary, Indiana. The student pilot was not injured. The airplane received substantial damage. The 14 CFR Part 91 solo training flight was operating in visual meteorological conditions without a flight plan. The local flight originated at GYY at 1815. The student reported she made three takeoffs and landings with her flight instructor in the airplane. He then deplaned and she continued to practice more takeoffs and landings. She stated that everything was normal on the fifth solo landing until she heard a loud noise as the nose wheel touched down on the runway. She stated the airplane then "moved to the right and came to an abrupt stop." The student pilot stated she exited the airplane and noticed the nose tire was flat, the wheel rim was missing, and the propeller had contacted the runway. During a telephone interview the student pilot stated the landing was not the smoothest one she has made, nor was it the hardest. When asked if the main gear or nose gear touched the runway first, she stated she believes that all three gear touched down at the same time. Pieces of the wheel which were collected off the runway were sent to the National Transportation Safety Board Materials Laboratory for examination. The pieces received did not make up the entire wheel. The Materials Laboratory examination revealed the pieces that were examined contained features that were consistent with overstress fractures.