If
everything goes according to plan, four lucky souls from Earth will establish
the first-ever human settlement on Mars by April 2023.
While
landing on the red planet will be the easier part, staying put will be an
altogether trickier proposition. Because out there: the average temperature is
minus 60 degrees Celsius, the air pressure is the equivalent of living in a
mountain five times the height of Mt. Everest, the oxygen content in the
atmosphere is less than 1%, the surface gravity is 38% of what we face, and
worst of all, there are no known water bodies. So the chance of survival of the
four astronauts is almost the same as that of four tiny ants in Antarctica !
Assuming
they rough it out and somehow procreate, in a few hundred years, we’d have
created a whole new civilisation. From our wealth of earthly experience, we know
that civilisations cannot be sustained on love and fresh air alone. Money is the
vital ingredient for viability. And to generate money you need a currency
first.
Considering
Mars doesn’t have its own dollar, euro or yen, we’ll have to invent a new medium
of exchange that’ll be acceptable to all. Suggestions have already started
pouring in on possible options. The Mars
Candy Bar
If
the Martians were to vote for a paper currency, then we’ll be forced to designate
it with a name that captures the spirit of Mars. Since not much spadework has
been done in this domain, let’s attempt to kick start the conversation by floating
a few candidates.
Since
Mars is the fourth planet, ‘Quads’ (Latin for four) offers an interesting
choice. ‘Reddies’ is another likeable option as it captures the ruddiness of
the terrain. ‘Ferrix’ (a variation of Ferric) could be a possibility as the
planet is rich in iron ore. ‘Savoys
