Global online payments company PayPal has a plan. They teamed up with SETI and other entities dealing with space and founded PayPal Galactic, an initiative that the company says will solve open issues and make universal payment in space a reality.
In the world of Star Trek the money will not exist in the 24th century but at some point in the 21st century, when we can (hopefully) arrive at Bigelow's space hotel in orbit around the Earth or spend a weekend in a colony on the moon, how will we pay for the pleasure?
Global online payments company PayPal has a plan. They teamed up with SETI and other entities dealing with space and founded PayPal Galactic, an initiative that the company says will solve open issues and make universal payment in space a reality.
Even if it is not an immediate need, PayPal wants to be prepared. She even worried to a secure web page for the enterprise . The PayPal Galactic announcement "coincidentally" coincides with the company's 15th birthday, as well as a SETI crowdfunding campaign known as the Curiosity Movement.
"PayPal and the STI Institute are suitable to work together on PayPal Galactic because together we can create a recipe for innovation," says Jill Tarter from the STI Institute. "Paypal's vision for possible space exploration is exactly what we are doing - breaking the boundaries to make real progress. When the ST Institute succeeds in exploring the universe and we find our place among the stars, People will be there to facilitate commerce so that people can get what they need for life outside of Earth."
Apollo 11 astronaut Buzz Aldrin also participated in the webcast of the PayPal Galactic announcement.
"On trips to Mars, the Moon or even orbit around the Earth, we will be required to provide the astronauts and space tourists with the maximum possible comfort, including the way to pay each other," Aldrin said. "Whether to pay for products and services or to help a relative on Earth, we will need access to money in space as well. I believe that humans will reach Mars, and when that happens, I wouldn't be surprised if people use PayPal Galactic as their means of payment."
"The growing space tourism raises important questions about space trade. We are launching PayPal Galactic to increase public awareness of the issue and the questions it raises," said David Marcus, president of PayPal. "One thing is clear to everyone: we will not use cash in space. PayPal already allows you to pay online, from your mobile device and beyond land borders, so we are very excited about the possibility of paying beyond the borders of our world, to other worlds and beyond."
PayPal Galactic aims, together with senior members of the scientific community and the international space industry, to answer the big questions surrounding the issue of trading in space, such as:
- How will the currency be defined in a cashless environment?
- How will the banking systems be forced to adapt to this?
- What developments will be required from risk management and fraud prevention systems?
- What future regulations will we have to adapt to?
- What customer service should we develop beyond the existing services?
To support the SETI Institute and its mission to improve our understanding of life on Earth, and the search for life beyond it, PayPal is launching a CrowdFunding campaign powered by FundRazr. SETI scientists play an important role in the world's most advanced scientific adventures, including groundbreaking research on astrobiology and radio astronomy using the Allen radio telescope array. Donations to support the SETI Institute and space exploration You can transfer through the website:
Already today, the need for a galactic payment system exists. Astronauts living in space stations still need to make payments for various needs - from their accounts on Earth to the entertainment they consume while in space, such as music and e-books. "Within 5-10 years, hotels in space and tours around the Earth and the Moon will operate and need a payment system," said John Spencer, president and founder of the Space Tourism Society (STS).
It should be noted that this is not PayPal's only spatial connection - the company's founder, Elon Musk, established the Spice X Company.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?&v=3_zBE1hOnfg
One response
Father, many times when you send a message (especially if it includes a link) the page refreshes but the message does not appear, nor is there any feedback message that says if the message was received in the system at all and if it is awaiting confirmation.
Can we maybe take care of it once?
(PS - Was the message I sent earlier received at all?)