Martyred Mission Aviator's Plane to Fly Again - Into Space

The story of five American missionaries killed in 1956 while trying to take the Gospel to the Waodani Indians in a remote region of Ecuador has always been an inspiring testimony about of commitment to faith.

Now, a piece of that story is about to head into space.

Space shuttle astronaut Patrick Forrester plans to take a small remnant from the airplane piloted by martyred missionary pilot Nate Saint into orbit with him when the shuttle "Discovery" lifts off Tuesday, according to Mission Aviation Fellowship.

Like Saint, Mission Aviation uses planes to take the Gospel to remote places. Forrester, according to MAF, has dreamed of being a missionary aviator, possibly in a post-NASA career.

Saint and four other missionary aviators were killed Jan. 1956 when they were attacked by the Waodani Indians they were trying to reach out to. The incident was credited with inspiring a new wave of interest in foreign missions. It has been the subject of several books and documentary films. In 2006, a feature film called "End of the Spear," told the story and how descendants of one of the missionaries returned to the Waodani and successfully brought the gospel to them.