She spoke English, German, French, Dutch and Polish. Fatima Dyczynski was headed for Perth to take up a job with IBM. Credit:Facebook Her ultimate dream was to journey to Mars as an astronaut. But her life was tragically cut short on Friday when she boarded the ill-fated Malaysia Airlines flight that was shot down over Ukraine. The German was heading to Perth, where her parents live, to take up a consulting job at IBM on Monday.

Her colleagues described her as “brightly outspoken, ambitious and incredibly motivated" in a message posted on the website of the company she founded Xoterra Space. Ms Dyczynski was also a budding entrepreneur. “Fatima was energetic, full of life and her dreams reached to the outermost of space,” the message read. Her ambition and optimism was reflected in the last comment she posted to Facebook: "One real good thing is better than thousand things of mediocrity". Fatima Dyczynski aimed high. Credit:Facebook

With an inviting smile, striking looks and an infectious zest for life, the talented woman had an enthralling presence. “Let’s make space personal for you and you and you and you,” she told an audience at a Tedx conference last year. Ms Dyczynski was also a budding entrepreneur. The young space enthusiast had recently completed her degree in aerospace, aeronautical and astronautical engineering at Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands. In response to the tragic news, the university’s executive board released a statement saying “virtually nothing seemed impossible” for Ms Dyczynski.

“Her unflagging energy, a sparkling inspiration for her fellow students and for us, will be extremely missed,” it read. Remembering his friend in a contribution to an online condolences page, Ulrik Gutt-Nielsen said “Her dedication to our common space makes her unique”. “Our hope is that she somehow is now somewhere up there and can look down although this is highly unscientific to think so,” he wrote. On her LinkedIn profile, Ms Dyczynski said she believed all things were possible and her mind existed in “a universe of infinite possibilities of creation and invention”. Just last week she was gushing to her friends about how much she loved her life.

Loading “Infinite potential,” she wrote on Facebook. “For this Earth, Galaxy and beyond. Always remember: don't let gravity hold us back.”