India, Jan. 21 -- There is a race to the space but also to ensure it is done in a productive, democratic way just like in case Antarctica, Sunita Williams, retired NASA astronaut and US Navy veteran said on Tuesday, during her first visit to India after her return to earth following a nine month stay in the International Space Station in 2024.

Williams was on a crewed mission of the Boeing Starliner which was supposed to last eight days but ended up lasting nine months due to a number of technical problems. Williams stressed on two of her learnings throughout her talk- that human beings are together and hence conflicts often seem silly and that space work is a team effort which will require democratic collaboration from countries.

"A sp...