FLITECAM: early commissioning results

Sarah E. Logsdon; Ian S. McLean; Eric E. Becklin; Edward W. Dunham; Ryan T. Hamilton; Christopher Johnson; Jennifer W. Milburn; Maureen L. Savage; Sachindev S Shenoy; Erin C. Smith; William D. Vacca

doi:10.1117/12.2056874

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8 July 2014 FLITECAM: early commissioning results

Sarah E. Logsdon, Ian S. McLean, Eric E. Becklin, Edward W. Dunham, Ryan T. Hamilton, Christopher Johnson, Jennifer W. Milburn, Maureen L. Savage, Sachindev S Shenoy, Erin C. Smith, William D. Vacca

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Proceedings Volume 9147, Ground-based and Airborne Instrumentation for Astronomy V; 91472Y (2014) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2056874
Event: SPIE Astronomical Telescopes + Instrumentation, 2014, Montréal, Quebec, Canada

Abstract

We present a status report and early commissioning results for FLITECAM, the 1-5 micron imager and spectrometer for SOFIA (the Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy). In February 2014 we completed six flights with FLITECAM mounted in the FLIPO configuration, a co-mounting of FLITECAM and HIPO (High-speed Imaging Photometer for Occultations; PI Edward W. Dunham, Lowell Observatory). During these flights, the FLITECAM modes from ~1-4 μm were characterized. Since observatory verification flights in 2011, several improvements have been made to the FLITECAM system, including the elimination of a light leak in the FLITECAM filter wheel enclosure, and updates to the observing software. We discuss both the improvements to the FLITECAM system and the results from the commissioning flights, including updated sensitivity measurements. Finally, we discuss the utility of FLITECAM in the FLIPO configuration for targeting exoplanet transits.

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Sarah E. Logsdon, Ian S. McLean, Eric E. Becklin, Edward W. Dunham, Ryan T. Hamilton, Christopher Johnson, Jennifer W. Milburn, Maureen L. Savage, Sachindev S Shenoy, Erin C. Smith, and William D. Vacca "FLITECAM: early commissioning results", Proc. SPIE 9147, Ground-based and Airborne Instrumentation for Astronomy V, 91472Y (8 July 2014); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2056874

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