'Ailing' Buzz Aldrin flown from South Pole after falling ill
The second man to walk on the moon was visiting Antarctica with a private tourist group.
Buzz Aldrin, the second man to walk on the moon, was evacuated by plane from the South Pole after falling ill.
The eighty-six-year old was visiting Antarctica as part of a White Desert private tourist group when his health deteriorated, the International Association of Antarctica Tour Operators said in a statement.
Mr Aldrin was flown to McMurdo Station, a US research centre on the Antarctic coast, on a cargo plane on the recommendation of doctors from White Desert doctor and the US Antarctic Program (USAP).
From there, it is believed Mr Aldrin will be flown to New Zealand.
The former astronaut had earlier tweeted about his trip to Antarctic writing: "South Pole here I come" accompanied by a picture of him alongside a plane.
In another Twitter post he posed with other members of the tourist group and wrote: "Buzz's Polar Penguins countdown to liftoff has commenced".
The National Science Foundation described Mr Aldrin as "ailing", but his condition was thought to be stable.
Mr Aldrin became the second man to walk on the moon, about 20 minutes after Neil Armstrong to his famous first steps in 1969 as part of the US Apollo 11 mission.