Data released by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California indicates that the initial approach of the Mars Climate Orbiter was too close. Controllers fear the spacecraft started to break apart in the Martian atmosphere and then did one of two things -- crashed into the surface or skip off the atmosphere and then headed for the Sun.

Based on the first assumption, Analytical Graphics has created this QuickTime animation what may have happened during Orbiter's last moments of this ill-fated mission.

Low-res: 120x90 pixels, 297k