FORCAST: A Mid-Infrared Camera for SOFIA

We describe the Faint Object infraRed CAmera for the SOFIA Telescope (FORCAST) which is presently operating as a facility instrument on the Stratospheric Observatory For Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA). FORCAST provides imaging and moderate resolution spectroscopy capability over the 5-40 mu m wavelength range. In imaging mode, FORCAST has a 3.4' x 3.2' field-of-view with 0.768 " pixels. Using grisms, FORCAST provides long-slit low-resolution (R = 100-300) and short-slit, cross-dispersed medium-resolution spectroscopic modes (R = 800-1200) over select wavelengths. Preceded by both Spitzer and Herschel, the discovery phase space for FORCAST lies in providing unique photometric bands and/or spectroscopic coverage, higher spatial resolution and exploration of the brightest sources which typically saturate space observatories.