Astronaut Buzz Aldrin is being emergency evacuated from the South Pole
The National Science Foundation (NSF) announced Thursday morning that it will provide a "humanitarian medical evacuation flight" from the South Pole for an "ailing" Buzz Aldrin.
Aldrin, who was the second man to walk on the moon, posted on Twitter Tuesday that he was headed to the South Pole:
South Pole here I come! #antarctica #WhiteDesert #GYATAntarctica pic.twitter.com/PPjfmKvanZ
- Buzz Aldrin (@TheRealBuzz) November 29, 2016
Buzz's Polar Penguins countdown to liftoff has commenced. #Antarctica #WhiteDesert pic.twitter.com/0vDc1yP0gT
- Buzz Aldrin (@TheRealBuzz) November 29, 2016
The NSF's statement said that an NSF plane will fly Aldrin from the Amundsen-Scott research station at the South Pole to McMurdo Station on the Antarctic coast. At that point ski-equipped LC-130 cargo planes flown by the 109th Airlift Wing of the New York Air National Guard will haul him to New Zealand "as soon as possible."
It's the start of summer in Antarctica, when travel to Amundsen-Scott is relatively routine, if not cheap or easy.
During the winter, researchers at Amundsen are much more sealed-off from the world. Only three emergency evacuations have ever been attempted during those harsh, dark months, most recently this past June.
- Colon cancer rates are rising in young people. If you have two symptoms you should get a colonoscopy, a GI oncologist says.
- I spent $2,000 for 7 nights in a 179-square-foot room on one of the world's largest cruise ships. Take a look inside my cabin.
- An Ambani disruption in OTT: At just ₹1 per day, you can now enjoy ad-free content on JioCinema
- Italian PM Meloni invites PM Modi to G7 Summit Outreach Session in June
- Markets rally for 6th day running on firm Asian peers; Tech Mahindra jumps over 12%
- Sustainable Waste Disposal
- RBI announces auction sale of Govt. securities of ₹32,000 crore
- Catan adds climate change to the latest edition of the world-famous board game