Alan Shepard was an American naval officer and test pilot who was selected as one of NASA's original Mercury Seven astronauts in 1959. In May 1961 he flew Mercury-Redstone 3, named Freedom 7, which made him the second person and first American in space, though the flight did not reach orbit. A ménière's disease diagnosis grounded him in 1963, and he was later cleared by surgery in 1968. In 1971 he commanded Apollo 14, becoming the fifth person to walk on the Moon at age 47 and the oldest. He was the only Mercury astronaut to walk on the lunar surface. During that mission he hit two golf balls on the Moon. He was promoted to rear admiral that year, the first astronaut to reach that rank, and retired from the Navy and NASA in 1974. His career spanned the period from early spaceflight to the Apollo landings.

Hampi is a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Karnataka, India, with more than 1,600 surviving remains spread over 4,100 hectares. It was the capital of the Vijayanagara Empire from 1336 to 1565. Travellers from Persia and Portugal described it as a prosperous, wealthy and grand city with temples, markets and farms along the Tungabhadra River. By 1500 it was estimated to be the world's second-largest city after Beijing, and probably India's richest at the time. In 1565 a coalition of Muslim sultanates defeated the Vijayanagara Empire, its capital was conquered and destroyed, and the city was left in ruins. Hampi remains a religious centre, with the active Virupaksha Temple at its heart.