Official News page 9

REAL LIFE NEWS: THE LAUNCH OF SPACE MONEY

by Hazed

Imagine the scene, some years in the future...

You're heading into space, for a wild trip as a space tourist, where you will experience zero-g for minutes at a time. Or you're going to stay in a space hotel. You are sure to want to purchase a souvenir of your experience, maybe some duty-free booze, or a t-shirt with a lame slogan on it (my sibling went to the Lunar Hilton and all I got was this lousy t-shirt...). So what do you pay with?

Foreign exchange company Travelex have the answer: a new currency designed to be used by inter-planetary travelers. It's a coin made from a polymer used in non-stick pans, designed to withstand the stresses of space travel, with no chemicals and no sharp edges that could cause a problem should the coins accidentally float free in micro-gravity. It's called the Quasi Universal Intergalactic Denomination, or Quid. (Joke explanation for non-UK readers: quid is a slang word for a British pound. No, don't worry, it's not very funny even if you don't need to have it explained to you.)

It's been designed by scientists from the UK's National Space Centre and the University of Leicester. "None of the existing payment systems we use on Earth - like cash, credit or debit cards - could be used in space," said Professor George Fraser from the University. "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." Electronic transfers that rely on sending and receiving information from Earth wouldn't be practical either because of the distances involved. Travelex have set the current rate of exchange as £6.25 to the Quid - that's about $12.71.

Obviously, it's a publicity stunt, but the Prof does have some valid points. Whether this plastic coin will become accepted as a real space currency or not, though, it's a shame they didn't ask for suggestions about what to call it - I would have said what I know you're all thinking. It's a groat!

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