Buzz Aldrin leaves New Zealand after South Pole evacuation
WELLINGTON, New Zealand — Buzz Aldrin was discharged from a New Zealand hospital on Friday and appeared to be heading home, a week after he was evacuated from the South Pole for medical reasons.
Aldrin’s manager, Christina Korp, posted a photo on Twitter showing the former U.S. astronaut relaxing and smiling on an airplane with the message “Bye Bye New Zealand! Hope to see you again! (But next time for vacation and not evacuation).”
Aldrin, 86, who was the second man to walk on the moon, said earlier he was eager to return to his home in Satellite Beach, Florida, to spend Christmas with his family.
The 86-year-old adventurer was evacuated from Antarctica last week after getting short of breath and showing signs of altitude sickness. He was flown from the South Pole to McMurdo Station, a U.S. research centre on the Antarctic coast, and then on to Christchurch, where he was hospitalized.