FLITECAM: a near-infrared camera for test and science applications on SOFIA

As a facility class instrument on SOFIA, FLITECAM will be developed at the UCLA Infrared Imaging Detector Laboratory. Its primary purpose is to test the SOFIA telescope imaging quality from 1.0 to 5.5 microns, using a 1024 X 1024 InSb ALADDIN II array. Once the telescope test flights are finished, FLITECAM will be available to the science community. FLITECAM's field of view of 8' in diameter, with a plate scale of 0.47' per pixel, is one of the largest available for any facility camera. Grisms are available to produce moderate resolution of R approximately equals 1000 - 2000, depending on the slit width, with direct ruled ZnSe grisms. The detector readout electronics will be provided by Mauna Kea IR Inc. and is able to operate the detector array at all its planned operation modes, including occulations, telescope-nodding, high-speed shift-and-add, and optionally chopping at the longer wavelengths. Here we present our design approach to achieve those specifications. We also discuss the most important tests FLITECAM will carry out and give examples of science projects on SOFIA. For the latter, we present a preliminary list of filters which is expandable and open for discussions within the science community.