Beagle 2 will carry instruments that can bore into rocks and burrow into the soil to gather samples. These samples will then be analyzed for the presence of water, carbonates and complex organic molecules, which are considered indicators of past life. The spacecraft will also wield a microscope camera with an 8 micron resolution that could provide data on grain sizes in the sedimentary rocks. A pair of NASA rovers are also slated to land on Mars in 2004. With both NASA and the ESA heading for the Red Planet, a solution to the mystery of Martian layers might be just a few years away.
All rocks disintegrate slowly as a result of weathering.
When sediments sink under water or are laid down by the wind, they accumulate in layers, one on top of another. As years pass by, the layers become thicker and thicker. They are pressed down by their own weight, or by the weight of the water on top of them. The packed layers become very hard, and turn into rock. Sedimentary rock can be made of tiny bits of other rocks and stones.