Shuttle mission to include missionary history

WASHINGTON (RNS) When the space shuttle Discovery next takes flight, perhaps later this week, it will carry a piece of missionary history with it into outer space. On board Discovery will be a piece of the plane used by members of Missionary Aviation Fellowship, who were killed more than half a century ago in Ecuador […]

WASHINGTON (RNS) When the space shuttle Discovery next takes flight, perhaps later this week, it will carry a piece of missionary history with it into outer space.

On board Discovery will be a piece of the plane used by members of Missionary Aviation Fellowship, who were killed more than half a century ago in Ecuador by Waodani tribesman, the ministry announced.

Astronaut Patrick Forrester contacted the Idaho-based ministry about carrying a memento from the plane that had been used by pilot Nate Saint and four other missionaries before their deaths in 1956.


Their story was depicted in the 2006 movie “End of the Spear.”

“Bringing attention to and renewing interest in missions would be a great result of this experience,” said Forrester, who was born the year after the missionaries were killed, in a statement. “My deepest intent is to honor Nate Saint, the Saint family and all missionaries around the world.”

The item from the battery box of the plane was approved by NASA and will be returned to Missionary Aviation Fellowship with a certificate showing it was part of a space flight.

Forrester, who has served as a short-term missionary, learned about the missionaries when he attended a concert of Christian artist Steven Curtis Chapman, who told the audience their story. Some of the tribesmen involved in the killings were later converted to Christianity by relatives of the slain missionaries.

NASA announced Wednesday (Aug. 26) that the shuttle could launch Friday, depending on weather conditions. The trip to the international space station had been postponed due to a valve malfunction.

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