Your comment is dead for some reason but let me help.

Orbital mechanics are not something you can just intuit, but are pretty simple.

Learn about Delta V. Play some Kerbal space program. View this diagram:

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/93/Solar_sy...

The ISS isn't listed but the math doesn't change much for it VS the listed 250km earth orbit.

TL;DR

In space you can think of yourself as captured in an orbit. It takes a lot of energy (fuel) to boost yourself out of that orbit and flying towards some other body. But after that, you have to also expend more fuel to actually be captured by that orbit. The returning craft would have to expend energy to be captured by the earth's orbit to rendezvous with the ISS, rather than just hit earth and land.