"Quid" - The New Space Currency

Tourism is expending into new frontiers, most importantly space. Space travelers will have to be able to buy and sell goods and thereby either barter for goods in exchange or pay with some sort of currency. This is especially true once the construction of the first space hotels currently under development is complete. Furthermore, a space currency is needed once humanity establishes more and more outposts on other planets.

You may wonder why would we need a new currency for space travel. Unfortunately, our 'worldly' currency versions are either dangerous due to sharp edges, which can cause damage, if accidentally floated freely. Or currency carriers like cards with imbedded chips or magnetized strips would be rendered useless by space radiation. Thus, the need for a 'space currency'.

To make transactions easier by offering a valid currency for exchange, scientists from the University of Leicester and the British National Space Center coined the "Quid." While the term "Quid" is already used as a slang term for the British pound, this "Quid" is short for "Quasi Universal Intergalactic Denomination." The request for such a currency came from Travelex, a foreign exchange company.

The Quid has molded edges, which cannot cause any damage or hurt anybody. It is made of Teflon, which can resist high heat and acidic materials. Yes, this is the same stuff that's used for frying pans and the like. The Quid is expected to withstand anything that might cause damage to it in space.

The Quid is designed in different sizes and colors symbolizing different coin values from one to ten. The planets of the solar system are also part of the design.
Travelex is expecting to trade the Quid currency at a rate of one Quid for 6.25 pounds, or $12.50, or 8.68 Euros. However, the Bank of England has yet to accept the currency.

Should we go and invest in "Quid" once the currency is available? According to the British National Space center daily space flights will be the norm in about five years and tourist establishments on the moon should be available around the year 2050. Thus, most of us will most likely not be tourists on the moon. Daily space flights within five years might be a bit utopian, but it also begs the question why a currency would be needed in such a limited environment.

After all, what average person would be able to afford a space flight, or a stay on the moon in about forty years? Inter-planetary trade appears to be more than a lifetime away. Thus, unless for curiosity purposes, an investment in "Quid" as in "Quasi Universal Intergalactic Denomination" is not recommended any time soon. And if any of the Star Trek episodes are an indication, currencies will eventually be eliminated, which would make any kind of "Quid" obsolete.