STUDENT PLT ON FIRST SOLO FLT DAMAGES ACFT DURING LNDG PROC. THE ACFT APPEARED TO HAVE PORPOISED BEFORE AND AFTER LNDG. RPTR CFI SAYS IT WAS A 'NORMAL' TOUCHDOWN.

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AFTER PERFORMING 4 UNEVENTFUL TOUCH-AND-GOES; THE INSTRUCTOR GOT OUT OF THE ACFT FOR THE PURPOSE OF SOLOING HIS STUDENT FOR THE FIRST TIME. THE STUDENT; A 70+ YR OLD MALE; TAXIED TO THE ACTIVE RWY AND MADE A NORMAL TKOF. THE STUDENT REMAINED IN THE PATTERN APPARENTLY UTILIZING HIS CHKLIST AND WAS ABOUT TO MAKE WHAT SEEMED LIKE A NORMAL LNDG. AFTER TURNING FINAL THE STUDENT APPEARED TO BE SLIGHTLY HIGH BUT IT APPEARED THE APCH COULD BE CONTINUED SAFELY. AFTER ROUNDING OUT; THE ACFT FLOATED APPROX 10 FT AGL IN A NORMAL LNDG ATTITUDE. AFTER ROUGHLY 200-300 FT OF FLOATING; THE ACFT NOSE DROPPED SHARPLY IMMEDIATELY FOLLOWED BY A SHARP UPWARD MOVEMENT; THEN CONTINUED DOWN THE RWY AS IT WAS BEFORE WITH NO AUDIBLE PWR ADJUSTMENT. AFTER AN ADDITIONAL 200-300 FT OF FLOATING; THE ACFT TOUCHED DOWN NORMALLY. HOWEVER; SECONDS AFTER TOUCHDOWN; THE ACFT BEGAN TO PORPOISE DOWN THE RWY GRADUALLY BECOMING MORE VIOLENT. AFTER APPROX 5-7 PORPOISES; THE ACFT SETTLED DOWN AND TAXIED CLR OF THE RWY. UPON INSPECTION; IT WAS DISCOVERED THAT THE NOSE WHEEL STRUT HAD EXPLODED; THE NOSE TIRE DESTROYED; AND THE LOWER SUPPORT HAD BEEN PARTIALLY SEPARATED FROM THE SKIN OF THE ACFT. THE APPARENT UNRESPONSIVENESS OF THE PERHAPS PANICKED STUDENT MAY HAVE BEEN A CONTRIBUTING FACTOR.