NASA/Bill Ingalls(NEW YORK) — Buzz Aldrin, the second man on the moon, has been medically evacuated from the South Pole.

Aldrin, 86, was visiting the South Pole as part of a tourist group run when “his condition deteriorated” and it was decided that he should be evacuated as a “precaution,” according to White Desert, a private tourist firm.

Aldrin’s “condition was described as stable” when he was handed over to the U.S. Antarctic Program medical team and evacuated. He was accompanied by a member of his team and was under the care of a doctor with the U.S. Antarctic Program, White Desert said.

The National Science Foundation said it provided the “humanitarian medical evacuation flight” for the “ailing” former astronaut. The U.S. government agency flew out Aldrin from its Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station to McMurdo Station on the Antarctic coast. From there, Aldrin will embark on a flight to New Zealand as soon as possible, according to the National Science Foundation.

In 1969, Aldrin became one of the first men to ever set foot on the moon as part of the famed Apollo 11 mission, accompanying Neil Armstrong and Michael Collins. The New Jersey native posted pictures on his official Twitter account earlier this week showing him preparing for his trip to Antarctica.

“We’re ready to go to Antarctica! May be our last opportunity to tweet for a few days! We’re go for departure to the launchpad!” Aldrin tweeted on Tuesday.

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