India, Jan. 20 -- There is not only a race to space, but also to ensure that it is done in a productive, democratic way, just like in the case of Antarctica, Sunita Williams, retired NASA astronaut and US Navy veteran, said on Tuesday.

Willians is on her first visit to India after returning to Earth following a nine-month stay on the International Space Station in 2024. She returned to Earth in March last year with the SpaceX Crew-9 mission.

Williams was on a crewed mission aboard the Boeing Starliner, which was supposed to last eight days but ended up lasting nine months due to several technical problems.

Williams stressed two of her learnings throughout her talk - that human beings are together and, hence, conflicts often seem silly,...