Buzz Aldrin, the second American astronaut to walk on the Moon following Neil Armstrong, was recently medically evacuated from Antarctica, where he and other scientists were reportedly studying the region in ways that could help us learn more about habitation on Mars.
Unfortunately, he became ill while he was there and needed to be medically evacuated to a medical facility in New Zealand. The synopsis was that he was short on breath due to a shortage of oxygen and congestion in his lungs, and so he wasn’t getting enough air.
Aldrin appeared to be suffering from a common ailment known as altitude sickness.
Image Credit: Buzz Aldrin/Twitter
Fortunately, Aldrin appears to be making a recovery now that he’s away from Antarctica, and while Aldrin would have loved to stay to continue on with the research that’s going on there, he won’t be going back (at least for now).
“I’m extremely grateful to the National Science Foundation (NSF) for their swift response and help in evacuating me from the Admunsen-Scott Science Station to McMurdo Station and on to New Zealand,” Aldrin said in a statement.
“I didn’t get as much time to spend with the scientists as I would have liked to discuss the research they’re doing in relation to Mars. My visit was cut short and I had to leave after a couple of hours. I really enjoyed my short time in Antarctica and seeing what life could be like on Mars.
On the other hand, Aldrin just set a world record for being the oldest man (at age 86) to visit Antarctica, so while his trip there was short, he just set another record.
While there is still a little bit of congestion in his lungs at this point in time, he’s reportedly doing a lot better. In time, Aldrin will be back to normal.
Source: Buzz Aldrin Blog