QUID: New Currency for Space Travellers

The usual currency notes and coins cannot be used by space travellers to buy and sell good during space tourism expeditions. A new currency called Quasi Universal Intergalactic Denomination, or Quid is being designed to withstand the stresses of space travel.

Quasi Universal Intergalactic Denomination / Quid

As space travel is gradually becoming a reality, the need for a unique space currency was needed. BBC News is reporting that the Quid was designed for the foreign exchange company Travelex by scientists from the National Space Centre and the University of Leicester.

Why our world currency is useless? Sharp coin edges can cause damage while chips and magnetic strips used in cards on Earth would be irrevesibily damaged by cosmic radiation. The Quid “coins” have moulded edges so that they will not damage anything if they accidentally float free in zero gravity and different value “coins” come in different sizes and colours.

Foreign exchange specialist Travelex in a press release revealed more details about the unit of currency for use in space. Some excerpts are quoted -

“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.”

“Different colours and sizes are used to denote different values. They are valued from one to ten and by looking at today’s rates one QUID would cost you £6.25, 12.5 dollars or 8.68 Euros.”

The world is changing as we look beyond earth. Based on these currency conversion rates, one QUID would cost 500 Indian rupees!