The Cryo-Tracker, a single probe capable of measuring liquid and ullage temperatures and liquid level inside cryogenic tanks, has been developed to solve mass gauging problems that engineers and technicians encountered while testing sub-cooled propellants for the space program. The mission success of reusable launch vehicles depends on accurately measuring the mass of the propellants loaded onto the vehicle before liftoff. This is not easily done. The tanks are often of irregular shapes that correspond to the aerodynamic profile of the vehicle. They are load bearing as well, and contain internal structures. Densified cryogenic propellants, which are cooled below their normal boiling point but remain in a liquid state, tend to stratify at different temperatures inside the tanks during the loading process. Ground support equipment must therefore continuously condition the propellant to remove the environmental heat leak from the tank while it sits on the vehicle before launch.
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