GREENFIELD — The internet is littered with reports of two NASA astronauts “stranded” at the International Space Station and how they will survive until they can be brought home in 2025. But a Shelburne resident and retired colleague says Sunita “Suni” Williams and Barry “Butch” Wilmore are perfectly safe and making the most of the situation.

Catherine “Cady” Coleman said she knows her friends are in their element on the ISS, where she has spent 159 days of her life, and are taking this opportunity to conduct some research they would not have had time for if they had been in space for the 8 days they had originally planned to be there in June.

“They are so happy to be there. I think they’re really, really happy to be living and working up there,” Coleman said. “You have to remember, it’s what we do. And Suni and Butch have been shepherds, the astronaut representatives, for that [Boeing Starliner Calypso] capsule for a few years now, so that means they are married to this mission.”

According to the science news website Live Science, the Starliner suffered numerous helium leaks and thruster faults, delaying its return to Earth. Tests conducted at Starliner’s facility in White Sands, New Mexico, revealed that during the flight to the ISS the spacecraft’s teflon seals inside the five faulty reaction control system thrusters likely got hot and bulged out of place and obstructed the propellant flow. Coleman said Williams and Wilmore could be brought home in an emergency but, since they are content and have more than enough supplies, NASA has decided to plan to have a SpaceX vehicle retrieve them in February. SpaceX is a spacecraft manufacturer founded by billionaire Elon Musk, who also owns a large portion of the company and serves as its CEO.

Starliner blasted off on its inaugural crewed test flight from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida on June 5, but technical problems soon arose. Boeing has come under fire recently for safety issues and two 373 MAX plane crashes that killed 346 people.

But Coleman said Williams, 58, and Wilmore, 61, are well-trained U.S. Navy veterans who were prepared for any scenario. She said they have enough food, about half of which is dehydrated. She said other food comes ready to eat in bags. Coleman also said SpaceX or Northrop Grumman supply ships can rendezvous with the 450-ton ISS, which spans roughly the size of a football field and orbits 250 miles above Earth at 17,500 mph, to deliver items they might need.

Coleman also said that despite what the public might believe, Williams and Wilmore are not alone. There are four other Americans on the ISS, as well as three Russians and three Chinese. The difference, Coleman said, is that those other astronauts arrived there in March or April and all were slated to stay for about six months.

“The reason I don’t worry about them and the reason I think they’re happy is because this is what we signed up for,” Coleman said, adding that her mission carried with it the same possibility.

Coleman, who in July published her book “Sharing Space: An Astronaut’s Guide to Mission, Wonder, and Making Change,” also compared research on the ISS to household responsibilities — the more time you have, the more opportunity there is to complete tasks.

“They have gotten a phenomenal amount of work done,” she said. “It makes it so there is not a lot of backlog.”

According to NASA, Williams was born in Euclid, Ohio, but grew up in Needham, which she considers her hometown. She was selected as an astronaut by NASA in 1998 and is a veteran of two space missions. She earned a bachelor’s degree in physical science from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1987 and a master’s degree in engineering management from Florida Institute of Technology in 1995.

Wilmore is also a veteran of two spaceflights. He served as a flight engineer for Expedition 41, which launched on May 28, 2014, until he assumed command of the station upon arrival of the Expedition 42 crew. He returned to Earth in March 2015. Wilmore earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Tennessee Technological University and a master’s degree from the University of Tennessee.

Reach Domenic Poli at: dpoli@recorder.com or 4130-930-4120.