quetric t1_j5w6n75 wrote
In addition to what others have said about delta-v required to match the orbital speed of the ISS, there's also the challenge of matching its inclination. Most likely a sample return mission will occur roughly in the solar system invariable plane, since that's where most of the planetary mass is. The ISS orbits at a relatively high inclination and I suspect it would take some creative gravity assists or a lot of delta-v to get in alignment with it.
a10t2 t1_j5wfte2 wrote
Bear in mind though that any sample return would be coming in on a hyperbolic trajectory. Given the time scales involved the ∆v required to intercept the ISS would be negligible when compared to that needed to rendezvous.
censored_username t1_j5ythbs wrote
Eh, you would design your approach so you intersect the ISS orbit at your perigee. Then decelerate just enough to get a highly eccentric orbit (or a weakly stable one), match inclination at apogee and then decelerate further at perigee.
Still, that would require a restartable motor with >4km/s delta V, which implies at least like 80% of your vehicle being storable propellants. A heat shield is simply lighter.
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