I really thought the article was a pretty interesting read. Okay, it might not be something for the near future, but I can definitely appreciate the thinking behind this.
It would actually make a lot of sense to use some form of cryptocurrency on interplanetary settlements. I think your idea of using lightning network for quick transactions, while relaying the transactions to the mainnet afterwards (slow), really makes a lot of sense.
I do really wonder how long it would take us to build a fully functional settlement on the moon for example. I would think that's where we'll start, seems a bit more reachable than immediately going to Mars.
Thanks!
Getting to any level of self-sufficiency away from the Earth could take a
long time, and standards of living may be much worse than settlers are used to.
The quickest way I can think of the Moon becoming permanently habitable is by digging out and pressurizing large underground caverns and piping in sunlight to grow food. We will need to send lots of organic material to mix with the exiting
lunar soil.