Francesca Martino's life was devoted to traveling to space

LARGO — Under many a full moon as a little girl, Francesca Martino lay on her back outside, looking up at the stars.

She wanted to know if anyone lived on Orion's belt. She wanted to go up and touch the moon.

"You can," her mother replied. "Some men have already done it."

"Have any women?" Francesca asked.

Ms. Martino, who grew up in Largo, knew she wanted to be an astronaut since kindergarten. As a young woman, she was about to graduate from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University with a double major in aerospace engineering and aerospace studies.

She was working for a NASA contractor at Cape Canaveral, helping re-engineer rocket boosters. In 20 years, she hoped to set foot on Mars.

Early Monday, Ms. Martino was headed to her job when her motorcycle struck a car making a left turn. She died hours later in a hospital.

She was 23.

Friends and relatives knew her as a high-energy talker who gestured with both hands. She fed off standup comics like Dane Cook and Nick Swardson, or anyone who could induce her high-volume laughter.

She contained contradictions: She rode a motorcycle to save money but could give it all back on cute shoes. She was handy with wrenches but also played the piano. She was a klutz at organized sports until she discovered running — and set a record in the mile at Sacred Heart Interparochial School

Her favorite book was her first: I Want to Be an Astronaut. She read it over and over until she outgrew it and the book was lost.

"She had a personality that was so outgoing and energetic," said Carl Cunnane, an Air Force ROTC cadet and Ms. Martino's boyfriend. "She literally knew there is nothing you could not accomplish."

Ms. Martino had spent the weekend in Orlando with Cunnane, a senior at the University of Central Florida. She commuted three days a week between Embry-Riddle in Daytona Beach and her internship at Cape Canaveral in Cocoa Beach.

The blue Kawasaki 650 was her third motorcycle. She left Cunnane's apartment early Monday. She struck a Chevrolet at 6:20 a.m. and died five hours later of internal injuries. The accident is under investigation.

Cunnane, 22, said he had planned to rent a sailboat over the Christmas holidays and take Ms. Martino out in the Atlantic. Once they couldn't see land anymore, he would propose.

While remodeling the house this year, Cecilia Martino, Ms. Martino's mother, uncovered a tattered children's book. She wrapped it in time for her daughter's 23rd birthday in July.

"She said it was one of the most special gifts she had ever received," her mother said.

It was her old copy of I Want to Be an Astronaut.

Andrew Meacham can be reached at (727) 892-2248 or ameacham@sptimes.com.