Buzz Aldrin, the former NASA astronaut who was the second person to walk on the Moon in 1969, was evacuated from the South Pole today, where he was taking a tour. He’s now in stable medical condition at a hospital in Christchurch, New Zealand, according to a statement on Aldrin’s website.
Eighty-six-year-old Aldrin arrived at the South Pole on November 29th, and was supposed to stay until December 8th. He fell ill and his condition “deteriorated,” according to the tour company White Desert. After consulting the White Desert doctor and the US Antarctic Program doctor, Aldrin was evacuated on the first available flight to McMurdo Station, a research station on the Antarctic coast run by the National Science Foundation.
From there, he was flown to Christchurch and transferred to a local medical facility. Aldrin was found to have liquid in his lungs, but he’s currently taking antibiotics and will be kept in the hospital overnight.
Aldrin’s manager, Christina Korp, described Aldrin as being in “good spirits,” the statement reads. She also tweeted selfies of Aldrin and herself.