Thermal Imaging Camera Helps Develop New  Cryogenic Fuel Tank Design

Fuel is a crucial part of space technology, it is necessary to propel the spacecraft but adding more fuel makes the spacecraft heavier and therefore less economic in its propulsion. Spacecraft designers continually face this dilemma. One of the best solutions current technology has to offer is the use of cryogenic fuel, due to its excellent energy to mass ratio. But the volatile character of cryogenic fuels and the absence of gravity in deep space make the use of cryogenic liquids for on-orbit propulsion challenging. But researchers at the German research facility ZARM may find a solution to this problem using a FLIR thermal imaging camera.