LJ wrote:
Do you know if anyone is doing or planning such work?

Alex writes:
Yes

LJ wrote
IMVHO there don't seem to be any all-encompassing explanations for all the points of evidence, other than life.

Alex writes:
That certainly is the JSC team's viewpoint on ALH84001, but I tend to agree with Steve Squyres, PI for the 2003 MER mission, when he stated, referring to the four lines of "evidence" offered by McKay et al., "Four maybes do not equal yes." Furthermore, there is definite disagreement to the extent that several lines of the evidence have been explained or had doubt cast on them. Thomas-Kperta, McKay, Gibson, et al. feel that their original arguments are still strong; others (increasing in numbers) disagree.

LJ wrote:
Hopefully Odyssey will continue to add pieces to the puzzle solution.

Alex writes:
Possibly, but do not get your hopes up. THEMIS may return some novel mineralogical data higher spatial scales and GRS will give (albeit at very low spatial resolution) the first global maps of elemental abundances. However, how this remote sensing mission will impact the ALH84001 debate is unclear to me. What is need are sample studies (either in situ or returned).

Alex R. Blackwell
University of Hawai