Buzz Aldrin, second man on moon, 86, evacuated from South Pole after falling ill on trip to Antarctica
Legendary astronaut airlifted from icy wastelands of Antarctica
Buzz Aldrin, the second man on the Moon, has been evacuated from South Pole after falling ill on a trip.
Dr Aldrin, 86, served as lunar module astronaut for Apollo 11, the first manned lunar landing mission in 1969 and stepped off the spacecraft after Neil Armstrong.
In a statement, White Desert, the tour company, said Aldrin’s “condition deteriorated” while on the tour they were running.
It said: "A White Desert client, Buzz Aldrin, has been evacuated from South Pole. Mr Aldrin was visiting the Pole as part of a tourist group and while there his condition deteriorated.
"As a precaution, following discussion between the White Desert doctor and the US Antarctic Program (USAP) doctor, Mr Aldrin, accompanied by a member of his team, was evacuated on the first available flight out of the South Pole to McMurdo with the USAP under the care of a USAP doctor."
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The statement added:"His condition was described as stable upon White Desert doctor's hand-over to the USAP medial team.
"White Desert would like to express their gratitude to USAP at this time for their support.
"His family have been informed of the situation.
"This flight is still in progress and there will be further updates when additional information is available."
Buzz had been tweeting about his trip, showing his thirst for exploring had not faded with the years.
In one he tweets: "We're ready to go to Antarctica! May be our last opportunity to tweet for a few days! We're go for departure to the launchpad!"
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