Buzz Aldrin is being cared for in Christchurch hospital by one Dr David Bowie.

Aldrin, the second man to walk on the surface of the moon, is recovering in hospital after he fell ill with fluid on his lungs during a trip to Antarctica.

He managed to make it to the South Pole, and in doing so, the adventurous American became the oldest man to reach the southernmost point on Earth.

Aldrin, who has thrown his weight behind research into a mission to Mars, is 86.