The second man who walked on the moon during the Apollo 11 mission, Buzz Aldrin, was evacuated from the South Pole last week due to altitude sickness.

The legendary NASA astronaut was exploring the South Pole with his son in a group tour. However, Aldrin's health declined as they were exploring the polar region. He was flown back to a hospital in New Zealand via an emergency cargo plane for immediate medical treatment.

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Aldrin revealed that he suddenly became short of breath and showed some telltale signs of altitude sickness. He said that he began to feel breathless, so the medical staff checked his vitals. After checking him, the medical team revealed that Aldrin was apparently suffering from lung congestion due to low oxygen levels.

The team sent him on the next flight to McMurdo, and when Aldrin was at sea level, he recovered quickly. Sinc there was still some congestion left in his lungs, New Zealand doctors advised him to rest there for the meantime before heading for the long flight back to the US. He is currently recuperating in Christchurch, New Zealand.

Local reports said that the veteran explorer was only about a few hours into the trip when he was suddenly needed to be evacuated.

As @TheRealBuzz is recovering I did want to let people know that he did make it to the South Pole which was his objective. Thnx for prayers! pic.twitter.com/jDWcq7PvU0

— Christina Korp (@Buzzs_xtina) December 2, 2016

Aldrin believes that the South Pole is the next milestone apart on his numerous exploration feats. He considers the Antarctic's frigid and harsh conditions as the closest experience to Mars.

Aldrin said that he did not spend enough time with mission scientists regarding research about the first mission to Mars. He added that his journey was cut short and had to leave after a few hours. Despite this unfortunate incident, Aldrin said he enjoyed his short time in the South Pole and experiencing what life could be like on Mars.