Forget About Dollars, Euro, Pounds Sterling, Yen....Space Money's Here

I don't know about you, but I've been a pretty big fan of SF movies back in my youth and thus quite familiar to the numerous types of currencies existing in various science-fiction shows, from Gold pressed Latinum from Star Trek's Deep Space 9 and Galactic Credits seen in Star Wars to the Cubits from Battlestar Galactica and many, many more. However, it would seem that space money might become a reality a lot sooner than expected, due to the fact that the people over at Travelex have just announced the QUID (which stands for Quasi Universal Intergalactic Denomination), the currency that will probably be used in our space-oriented future.

Thus, the QUID has been designed to withstand the stresses of space travel and the extreme environment found in orbit around the Earth. It has also been created so that it can be purchased on earth in any one of the 176 currencies used around the globe. Thus, for example, one QUID costs around 6.25 pounds sterling, 12.5 dollars or 8.68 Euro.

Professor George Fraser from the University of Leicester commented: "None of the existing payment systems we use on earth - like cash, credit or debit cards - could be used in space for a variety of different reasons. Anything with sharp edges, like coins, would be a risk to astronauts while the chips and magnetic strips used in our cards on Earth would be damaged beyond repair by cosmic radiation. What's more, because of the distances involved, it is more than 230,000 miles from the Earth to the moon, chip and pin technology is also out of the question."

Professor Fraser continued: "We have had to completely rethink the design of the currency from the materials used to the payment mechanisms and aesthetics. The currency cannot contain any chemicals that might contaminate the astronauts' life support systems and must be able to survive the extreme environment of space. We also had in mind that the currency should be meaningful for any intelligent life we might encounter in other planetary systems."

A space qualified polymer called PTFE (polytetrafluoroethylene) will be used to construct the QUIDs, due to the fact that it's a material widely used by space agencies because of its versatility and durability. Best known for the 'Teflon' non-stick pan coating, it can resist high temperatures and corrosive materials. Importantly, too, the currency will not emit any dangerous chemicals into the space tourists' environment. As a plastic it can be molded into any shape so it can have round edges to avoid damaging people and equipment if accidentally allowed float free in zero gravity.

Furthermore, the QUID is lozenge shaped which means it has no sharp edges but is still easy to store and transport. Each one contains eight planets orbiting a sun, reflecting the position of the planets in Earth's Solar System. In addition to the aesthetic appeal this will help if the QUID needs to be used on planets inhabited by other life forms. Each of the orbiting planets will carry a number, like the serial numbers on notes, giving the disc a unique code thus allowing currency to be tracked and helping to prevent counterfeits.

Travelex commented that "It's only a matter of time before people will be walking up to our shops and asking for QUIDs for their two weeks in a space hotel. There will be a real need for this currency to be introduced to meet the needs of those intergalactic tourists. Wherever we go on holiday - whether its Spain or Saturn we'll always want to take some cash. Apart from anything else, if you'd just had a fortnight in space you'd definitely want to buy a souvenir to bring back."

Well...now that we've got the coins, all we need is Warp engines and a pointy-eared first-officer to drive our intergalactic ship. But that's still...the stuff SF series are made of.

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