FLITECAM

First Light Test Camera for NASA's SOFIA Observatory

FLITECAM is a 1-5 micron infrared camera for NASA’s Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA). A 1024 x 1024 InSb ALADDIN III detector and large refractive optics provide a field of view of almost 8 arc minutes in diameter with a scale of just under 0.5 arc seconds per pixel. The instrument is cooled by a double liquid helium and liquid nitrogen cryostat. Using a collimated beam of about 26 mm diameter, a low resolution spectroscopic mode is also available using direct-ruled KRS5 grisms and fixed slits of either 1″ or 2″ width and 60″ length to yield resolving powers of R~1700 and 900 respectively.

Note: FLITECAM was decomissioned by NASA in 2018 after many successful science missions aboard SOFIA including the Pluto Occultation in New Zealand in 2015.

FLITECAM on SOFIA

DOCUMENTS (pdf)

Science Overview

FLITECAM Poster

PUBLICATION LINKS

SPIE Paper 6269_195: FLITECAM, a 1-5 micron camera and spectrometer for SOFIA
Ian S. McLean, Erin C. Smith, T. Aliado, G. Brims, E. Kress, K. Magnone, J. Milburn, A. Oldag, T. Silvers, G. Skulason, Eric E. Becklin, Ralph Y. Shuping

SPIE Paper 4008_158: The Optical Design of FLITECAM
J.M.M. Horn, Ian S. McLean

SPIE Paper 4014_8: FLITECAM - A near infrared camera for test and science applications on SOFIA (2000)
J.M.M. Horn, E.E. Becklin, O. Bendiksen, G. Brims, J. Goulter, E. Kress, N. Magnone, Ian S. McLean, J. Milburn, N. Mollayem, H.S. Moselley, M. Spencer

SPIE Paper 4857_21: Characterization of FLITECAM: the first light camera for SOFIA
A.K. Mainzer, Ian S. McLean, T. Aliado, E.E. Becklin, G. Brims, J. Goulter, E. Kress, N. Magnone, J. Milburn, G. Skulason, M. Spencer

The Astrophysical Journal, 604: Using Narrowband Photometry to Classify Stars and Brown Dwarfs
A.K. Mainzer, Ian S. McLean, J.L. Sievers, E.T. Young

The Astrophysical Journal, 597: Using Narrowband Photometry to Detect Young Brown Dwarfs in IC 348
A.K. Mainzer, Ian S. McLean