Can Flying Higher Protect the Space Station From the Sun?
In a 1997 NASA-contractor simulation under a 1958-strength Sun, a station starting at 450 km lost 45 km in 90 days. From 400 km, it lost 147 km.
Space & Science
Everything nature runs on: the sky above, the planet below, and the physics, chemistry and biology in between. Falling into the Sun, a very long fall from orbit, an ocean with no salt. Real laws of nature, one reluctant calculation at a time.
How fast does the Space Station fall? It depends on the Sun
Without reboosts, NASA gives the ISS one to two years. In a 1997 NASA-contractor study, a stormy-Sun run fell about 16 times faster than a quiet-Sun run.