The item comes from martyred missionary pilot Nate Saint's Piper PA-14, which is on display at the headquarters of Mission Aviation Fellowship in Nampa, Idaho.
Saint and four other missionaries were martyred on a sandbar in Ecuador on Jan. 8, 1956, by a tribe of Waodani Indians. The incident sparked international news coverage and renewed interest in missionary service. Several of the tribesmen that killed Saint and the others were later converted to Christianity by relatives of the slain missionaries.
"Bringing attention to and renewing interest in missions would be a great result of this experience," said Forrester, who was born in El Paso, Texas, the year after the martyrdoms. "My deepest intent is to honour Nate Saint, the Saint family and all missionaries around the world."
The piece is from the Piper's battery box and has received approval for the flight from the NASA after conforming to strict size and weight restrictions.
Forrester, who will be making his third shuttle flight, has logged more than 4,500 hours in more than 50 different aircraft and has been with NASA 16 years. In addition to his time at NASA, he spent over 26 years as an Army aviator. Yet his dream has been to assist with the high calling of missionary aviation.
"I've always had a heart for missions," Forrester said. "When I visualise what I might do after I end my career at NASA, always in the back of my mind is going into the mission field in some way. If I could go tomorrow and be a pilot with an organisation like MAF, I think that's what I'd do."
Whether an astronaut, missionary or something else, Forrester has a simple approach to discovering what career journey people should take. "There are so many needs out there," Forrester said. "People need to figure out where their passion and their talents intersect with God's plan for the world."
Forrester heard about Saint and the other four missionary martyrs while attending a Steven Curtis Chapman concert.
"He told the story of the missionaries who had gone down and had lost their lives," Forrester recalled. "That story just fascinated me, and through that I heard of the book 'Through the Gates of Splendor'. That's when I really first understood about MAF."
Forrester asked MAF to provide a part of Saint's plane for the shuttle mission. When the mission is completed, Forrester will return the piece to MAF, providing a certificate confirming its presence on the space flight. MAF plans to display the battery box part and certificate at its headquarters.
Forrester noted that Saint "could have never imagined that we would have the opportunity to take it to a space station".
As for himself, Forrester sees missions in his career flight plan. "We are all called to serve God in some manner," Forrester said. "I have had the opportunity to participate in several short-term mission trips to Uganda, Canada, Puerto Rico and South Africa. Each time I have developed a heart for the people we served. I believe my wife and I will continue to serve in the mission field for the rest of our lives - whether it is at home or overseas, short-term or full-time."