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Here's an update to the answer by @PearsonArtPhoto with data from other periods. In that answer, the drop rate during the last solar cycle (#24) is used. In the current (2020) minimum of solar activity, the drop rate is substantially lower: enter image description here

(source: https://heavens-above.com/OrbitHeight.aspx?satid=25544 )

That's a mere 200 meter per month, 7 m/day and a decelerating force of 0.017 N.

Compared to that, at the peak of the second-to-last solar cycle (#23) in 2002 the activity was twice as high, and the ISS suffered a lot more:

enter image description here

(source: https://heavens-above.com/OrbitHeight.aspx?satid=25544 )

That's a staggering drop of 12 km/month or 400 m/day, corresponding to a force of more than 1 N.

This is a change by a factor of 50 - although it can't be fully blamed to solar activity alone: The orbital height varied by 50km over the years, and also the operation mode of ISS varied. In 2002 "night glider" mode wasn't in use yet - nowadays it reduces the drag during night by optimizing the position of the solar arrays.

Here's an update to the answer by @PearsonArtPhoto with data from other periods. In that answer, the drop rate during the last solar cycle (#24) is used. In the current (2020) minimum of solar activity, the drop rate is substantially lower: enter image description here

(source: https://heavens-above.com/OrbitHeight.aspx?satid=25544 )

That's a mere 200 meter per month, 7 m/day and a decelerating force of 0.017 N.

Compared to that, at the peak of the second-to-last solar cycle (#23) in 2002 the activity was twice as high, and the ISS suffered a lot more:

enter image description here

(source: https://heavens-above.com/OrbitHeight.aspx?satid=25544 )

That's a staggering drop of 12 km/month or 400 m/day, corresponding to a force of more than 1 N.

This is a change by a factor of 50 - although it can't be fully blamed to solar activity alone: The orbital height varied by 50km over the years, and also the operation mode of ISS varied. In 2002 "night glider" mode wasn't in use yet - nowadays it reduces the drag during night by optimizing the position of the solar arrays.

Here's an update to the answer by @PearsonArtPhoto with data from other periods. In that answer, the drop rate during the last solar cycle (#24) is used. In the current (2020) minimum of solar activity, the drop rate is substantially lower: enter image description here

(source: https://heavens-above.com/OrbitHeight.aspx?satid=25544 )

That's a mere 200 meter per month, 7 m/day and a decelerating force of 0.017 N.

Compared to that, at the peak of the second-to-last solar cycle (#23) in 2002 the activity was twice as high, and the ISS suffered a lot more:

enter image description here

(source: https://heavens-above.com/OrbitHeight.aspx?satid=25544 )

That's a staggering drop of 12 km/month or 400 m/day, corresponding to a force of more than 1 N.

This is a change by a factor of 50 - although it can't be fully blamed to solar activity alone: The orbital height varied by 50km over the years, and also the operation mode of ISS varied. In 2002 "night glider" mode wasn't in use yet - it reduces the drag during night by optimizing the position of the solar arrays.

Source Link
asdfex
asdfex
  • 15.1k
  • 2
  • 50
  • 64

Here's an update to the answer by @PearsonArtPhoto with data from other periods. In that answer, the drop rate during the last solar cycle (#24) is used. In the current (2020) minimum of solar activity, the drop rate is substantially lower: enter image description here

(source: https://heavens-above.com/OrbitHeight.aspx?satid=25544 )

That's a mere 200 meter per month, 7 m/day and a decelerating force of 0.017 N.

Compared to that, at the peak of the second-to-last solar cycle (#23) in 2002 the activity was twice as high, and the ISS suffered a lot more:

enter image description here

(source: https://heavens-above.com/OrbitHeight.aspx?satid=25544 )

That's a staggering drop of 12 km/month or 400 m/day, corresponding to a force of more than 1 N.

This is a change by a factor of 50 - although it can't be fully blamed to solar activity alone: The orbital height varied by 50km over the years, and also the operation mode of ISS varied. In 2002 "night glider" mode wasn't in use yet - nowadays it reduces the drag during night by optimizing the position of the solar arrays.