While on this non work rabbit hole, I found that a ballpark measure of the density of the zodiacal dust as observed by the Mariners is ONE PARTICLE PER CUBIC KILOMETER. Capitalized because of its wonderful simplicity.

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/chapter/edited-volume/abs/pii/B9780080128351500519

Yeah, the abstract says "Mariner II and the Mariner IV data seems to indicate that the particle number density varies from 10−16 to 10−14 particle per cm3 and the spatial density ranges from 10−26 to 10−24 gram per cm3 between 0.72 A.U. and 1.56 A.U."

So if you take the middle of their range of particles per cm^3, which is 10e-15 per cm^3, and bring it to unity, because mental model sanity, because a part of a particle is one particle & parts of particles DON'T EXIST, then you come out with the amazingly easy to remember 1 particle per km^3. Why wouldn't you put that in your abstract?

Also neat, you can easily see the *moonshine* reflected in the ocean in the timelapse! In the still photos it's lost in the low light with the clouds and haze, but in the lapse the broad reflection moves slightly with the capsule's movement!

Next time they should just set one phone to timelapse video record and tape it to the window with a USB attached for power and give it a fancy instrument acronym.