Here he lies, Orion, the man in the polymer mask. The mask allows for the exact and rigid positioning of his head for accurate and consistent proton radiation to the tumor bed. He cannot see what I saw. The nozzle to the right is fitted with three layers of material designed to shape the proton beam. There is a mask of machined brass that is shaped to fit the tumor boundary. There is a lead shield to shape the beam from a fusiform to a blunt leading edge, and finally you can see a Lexan mask that is contoured in thickness to shape the beam for impact on a 3D irregular surface.
As soon as he was done we watched the final Space Shuttle Atlantis lift off for its final flight. We both would rather be on it than here.
For anyone curious about the beam shaping, I did a post about it on my own blog after I met the physicist backstage, who controls it: http://fundamentalforces.blogspot.com/2011/06/beam-shaping-101.html
ReplyDeletenot that I would understand it but did try to get to your blogspot to try...no luck. Tried three times:(
ReplyDeleteWe're talking a custom-machined brass piece specific to Orion? Do you get to keep it afterward?
ReplyDeleteIs tomorrow the final day? Will there be a webcast?
ReplyDeleteSteve, I love your last comment! I bet you would love to be on the shuttle even if Orion was not going through the Inquisition. How about Orion?
ReplyDeleteI'll read YOUR blog. Thinking of you all!