CBS News asked Sean Kirkpatrick, Federica Bianco, Neil deGrasse Tyson, Shelly Wright, Janna Levin and Avi Loeb what they think we’ll learn from the government’s UFO files

Sean Kirkpatrick:

"There are going to be unsatisfied people," he told CBS News.

"You're going to have a bunch of people who are going to continue to cry conspiracy, they're going to say there's a cover-up," Kirkpatrick said. He views Mr. Trump's order as a "distraction for the administration."

Federica Bianco, NASA study team:

"The probability that we are the only life form or even the only technical society in the universe is negligibly small," Bianco said.

"As a scientist and a member of the NASA UAP panel, I haven't seen anything that indicates that we have observed phenomena that violate the laws of physics and require an alien society visiting us to be explained," Bianco said.

Neil deGrasse Tyson:

An actual alien. If one is presented, then no documents are necessary at all," Tyson told CBS News.

"The urge to have immediate answers drives many people to explain what they see as visiting space aliens from across the galaxy," Tyson said. "I call this, 'aliens of our ignorance.'"

Shelly Wright, astrophysicist:

Dr. Shelly Wright, an observational and experimental astrophysicist at the University of California San Diego, said scientific inquiry into unidentified anomalous phenomena and other life forms often creates a "giggle factor" among people. 

Wright, who also served on NASA's independent study team, said she believes there needs to be more scientific inquiry around this topic and the public has a deep curiosity to know more. She said often people ask her, "Are we alone out here?"

As a scientist, Wright said she is always looking for "life in the universe" and is humbled by how big the universe and our galaxy is. She noted, "The possibility of other alien life existing is likely, but it doesn't mean it's near us." 

Janna Levin, professor of physics and astronomy:

She said she'd like to keep "an open mind" about what might be in the documents. 

"If there is anything in them, it would be really thrilling," Levin said. But she cautioned: "If there are claims of actual technologies from other civilizations — I don't think anyone is actually expecting that, scientifically. I think if you're expecting that, you're going to be disappointed."  

Avi Loeb:

Loeb told CBS News that he spoke with members of Congress last week and told them he hopes they'll look to scientists like himself when they examine the files. He said that in most instances of unidentified phenomena, "something mundane might explain the data."

He pointed to footage aired before Congress last summer that purported to show a missile being fired at what a congressman referred to as an "orb" off the coast of Yemen in 2024.

Loeb said when he examined the footage, he concluded there was a simple explanation.

"I said, 'No, it's not anomalous, it was just a drone," Loeb recalled.

When Loeb gets the chance to examine the files, he'll be searching for the unexplainable.

"There might well be a few incidents out of hundreds that would really be anomalous, and that's what I'm looking for," he said.